Faded
by EmbraceDiversity
Summary: The three of them had practically grown up together, they even considered themselves siblings. Then one day he began to distance himself from her, fading into the background, leaving her hurt and confused. ItaHina. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I'm not sure if I like this fic as a whole (yes, it is completed at 7 chapters). It's one of the shortest ones I've written (this was done on purpose), so that could be it, I suppose. So. AU Fic that's I guess GaaHinaIta? Or however you want to arrange that. Everyone's personalities were adjusted to fit their age, setting, and life. I will say this: Itachi is kind of hard to write. I made him talk a helluva lot. In the series he was actually a pretty chill guy around his brother, he smiled and did a little chuckle, whatever. In fanfiction he's always 100% extremely serious and I picked up the habit. So I tried to make him lighthearted around people he's comfortable with but stoic to everyone else. I'm pretty sure I freaking failed. Anyway, enough ranting. Edit: Apparently, no longer wants to love my dividers for scenes. I'm having to go through and fix it so it doesn't look insane when you're reading it.

**1**

"This is stupid." Five year old Uchiha Sasuke said under his breath. "These dumb parties are always so _boring_."

Holding his little brother's hand, ten year old Uchiha Itachi frowned. He agreed with his little brother, he detested these parties, especially when everyone tried to fawn over 'the great genius'. Itachi hated being in the center of attention yet it was impossible to avoid it; his father liked to boast about him too much. The only difference between him and his little brother was that Itachi wasn't going to complain about it. He couldn't. His life revolved around what his father wanted for him, free will didn't exist for him.

Sometimes, he envied Sasuke. Most of the time he hated his father.

"You two will be playing in the gardens," their mother, Uchiha Mikoto, informed "The Hyuuga family have brought their heir, Itachi. Perhaps you two could bond or get along."

"Yes, mother." He said coolly although inwardly he was irritated. Just because the child was an heir to a powerful family didn't mean that they would get along or be compatible. Besides, he tended to enjoy solitude, the term 'friends' wasn't something he could identify with. At ten years old Itachi is considered a genius, having recently graduated high school to attend university in the fall. As an Uchiha, a family with uncanny power over the business world, he was heir to the company and the expectations placed on his tiny shoulders have been heavy. As a result up to this point he has never experienced a true childhood and inwardly he is horribly cynical and pessimistic. Sasuke is the only light to the otherwise stifling darkness of everyone else. With Sasuke, he can just be Itachi, a ten year old kid with a little brother.

Releasing his hold on Sasuke's hand, he raises it and ruffles the boy's hair, earning him some annoyed squabbling. Guiding him to the gardens he flashes his brother a genuine smile, something he shares with few people. The five year old shoots him a glare and tries to smooth out his unruly hair.

"You always do that." Sasuke pouted as the two boys walked through the white French doors that led to the gardens. Still smiling, he turns and pokes his little brother on the forehead, earning him another annoyed exclamation.

"I also do that." He teased. Once again Sasuke pouts but then he smiles back up at his brother and Itachi wonders if Sasuke will ever understand how much his love and affection mean to him. The entire world could disappear and as long as he had his little brother, his anchor, he was okay. "Let's try and find the Hyuuga."

"Do we have to play with him?" Sasuke inquired. "You and I can just play out here alone."

"Mother says that we must make an effort," he reminded his little brother "so at the very least we can introduce ourselves."

Dark grey eyes scan over what can be seen. There's a tiered fountain currently active, a bench behind that and then an expanse of grass leading to a huge wall of shrubbery. While he's taking in the rest of the garden he sees something purple out of the corner of his eye. Turning back to the fountain he could see nothing out of the ordinary yet he was almost positive there had been something there. Intrigued, but not to the point where he'd want to explore, he decides to pretend that he's looking away again. When he sees the purple again he quickly turns in time to hear a high but soft 'eep' and once more ducks behind the fountain. Obviously, this had to be the Hyuuga.

"You can come out you know," Itachi offered, ignoring Sasuke's inquisitive look "We're supposed to introduce ourselves."

There was silence for a moment. Sasuke moved to the side of Itachi that gave him a better view of whatever or whoever his big brother was talking to.

Purple hair emerges along with a pale face, child-like in appearance. The hair style is very short, almost boyish. Pale white eyes blink at the pair of smoky grey and she seemed quite content to stay behind the fountain.

"It's a girl!" Sasuke said with no small amount of annoyance. He couldn't blame him, both brothers seemed to have the same problem with it came to the opposite sex and he had to admit that at ten years old he didn't like them either. Girls were clingy and tried to kiss you – "Disgusting!" – and forced you to do things you don't want to do at all just to keep them from wailing like a banshee and getting you in trouble with the parental units.

This little girl, however, seemed almost afraid of them. When Sasuke shouted she squeaked out another 'eep' and hid back behind the fountain. He'd met a lot of girls in his age group and 'shy' was not something he had ever encountered.

"Stay here Sasuke." Itachi told him and began to walk around to the other side of the round fountain. As expected, the girl had her back facing him while the rest of her kept trying to peek out and see what was going on. She was the same age as Sasuke and was wearing a plain purple kimono with a dark blue obi. Curious about this strange creature, the ten year old quietly snuck up behind the girl and lightly taps her on the shoulder.

She must have jumped at least a foot into the air, large pale eyes widening in fear. Opening her mouth she began to let out a high pitched scream when the older Uchiha quickly stepped forward and slapped a hand over the child's mouth. With his free hand he raises a finger to his lips and tries to smile reassuringly. Last thing the brothers needed was a hysterical five year old female.

"I'm going to remove my hand," Itachi informed her "if I do, will you promise not to scream?" when she nodded at him he slowly removed his hand, taking her in. With those eyes and skin, she looked like some sort of weird doll.

First things first; calm the girl down. Obviously, she was incredibly shy to the point of fearing unknown people. Like his parents, the Uchiha prodigy could surmise that she was probably tossed out here as well and told to 'go make nice with the Uchiha'. Standing straight he looks down at the girl. Seeing him staring her gaze immediately shifts to the floor and she begins to look very nervous. How strange for a five year old, was she abused perhaps?

"My name is Uchiha Itachi," he told the girl formally. At this point he could feel Sasuke's presence behind him until his little brother is doing what the little girl was doing; hiding behind something, or in this case someone. "This is my little brother, Sasuke."

The shy girl remained silent her gaze still at her feet. She begins to poke her fingers together "H-H…Hyuuga…H-Hinata." It's said so low that the boy almost didn't catch it.

Itachi smiled at the girl, although it was not heartfelt. "Hinata? That's a very pretty name." _It's also an oxymoron, the girl is dressed in dark clothing_._ There's nothing 'sunny' about her._

The girl's face turned a bright shade of red and she continued to poke her fingers together. "Th-thank you…" she whispers.

Inwardly, the older Uchiha frowns. At five years old this child shouldn't be that frightened of people right? His overactive brain begins to go through all sorts of scenarios and explanations for her strange behavior when Sasuke decides to make his presence known.

"You always this quiet?" the boy asks, obviously not impressed with the person in front of him "We can't make…friends with you if we can't even hear what you're saying." Itachi smiles thinly at Sasuke's pause.

Despite his pause the girl's head shoots up and she looks at the two of them in genuine surprise. "Y…you r-really want to…to be my f-friend?" she sounded so surprised that he honestly was beginning to think the girl was being abused in some way; abuse wasn't always physical.

Then again, she really could just be a ridiculously shy girl. His mother always told him he had an overactive imagination.

"It's not like we have a choice," Sasuke muttered and Itachi lightly thumps his little brother in the head in admonishment.

"Stop being rude." Itachi scolded, although in reality Sasuke wasn't so much rude as brutally honest.

Unfortunately, Sasuke's mutterings made her eyes water a bit before looking back down at the ground. He could almost see the 'too good to be true' in her eyes. Itachi didn't like it, this girl was the same age as Sasuke yet she held even more pessimism than he himself did. It irked him for some reason, perhaps because she was an heir like him and more than likely she was being drilled the same crap he has been fed for the past ten years.

"Hyuuga-san," Itachi closed the distance between them and forced her to look up at him. He sees the tears she had been trying to hide "we don't mind if you play with us, you seem like a nice person."

"But Itachi," the little brother whined "she's a _girl_." He says it as if it explains everything.

Smirking inwardly, he reached over and took the girl's hand, her face turning as bright as a tomato. He turns back to his brother who was still too scared to go near the girl. "Well, I guess Hyuuga-san and I will have to play by ourselves." He looks down at Hinata "Is that alright with you? You don't have to if you don't want to, it's your choice."

He can see it in her eyes 'I have a choice?' and this girl reminds him too much of himself at her age, minus the shyness. It truly upsets him, as Itachi is a boy that despite all of his shortcomings genuinely cares about others.

"I…I want to p-play…" she says softly, looking at her tiny hand in his slightly larger one. "I…I want to be friends." She looks back up at him with those pearl-like eyes and Itachi realizes that her eyes aren't white at all, they're pale lavender. Intriguing. "Is that…is that okay, Uchiha-san?"

"Okay then, we'll play and we'll be friends." He began to walk away with her hand still in his, ignoring his little brother. "It's too bad Sasuke doesn't want to join us…"

"That's not true!" the smaller boy rushed up to them. He frowns at Hinata who shifts closer to Itachi and then he reaches down and takes her other hand. "See?" he looked up at Itachi as if daring him to challenge his claim. When he didn't Sasuke turned back to Hinata "So I get to play with you and be your friend too, even if you're a girl."

As the three begin to walk along in the gardens Itachi briefly wonders how long his little brother's love and adoration for him will change to envy and resentment. It's unavoidable, Fugaku completely ignores Sasuke for his first born and the older is well aware of the fact that because of this Sasuke will begin to hate him.

Itachi hated being a genius most of the time. It meant restriction, manipulation and ignorance because adults tend to want to live vicariously through their children, _especially _if they're 'gifted'. It meant that his little brother, his anchor that keeps him from becoming completely cynical and closed off, would be taken away from him.

_I suppose it's best to just 'live the moment' or whatever such nonsense._

xxxxx

While he doesn't show it, Itachi is somewhat disappointed in both Sasuke and Hinata's slow progress concerning the martial arts. Both families owned dojo's and practiced their own style; it was expected for those in the direct bloodline to master these skills.

Going over everything, he notes that Sasuke isn't bad, but he's not improving physically the way he would like. Mentally, Sasuke understands the concepts and can recite them to his big brother perfectly. Physically, neither his speed nor his strength was increasing during these training sessions.

Hinata was a completely different case altogether and he has to admit that it's not the fact that Hinata isn't getting any better that's the problem but rather the fact that she simply doesn't believe in herself. The two families are very close, so close that Hinata only lived a block away. Hinata was constantly over at the Uchiha's for whatever reason and the two boys didn't mind her presence. To Itachi, Hinata was the little sister he never had and he tends to spoil her – mostly because it irritates Sasuke when his big brother takes her side.

For the past few years the elder Uchiha has tried to go through his brain for different ways to deal with Hinata's self-esteem issue. Unfortunately, Hinata does not live with them and there is only so much verbal support the brothers can give. Hinata's issue is frustrating to both of them because it could be so easily prevented if her father and her relatives quit being assholes and telling her that she's worthless. So far, the only thing Itachi has been able to do is convince the Hyuuga to allow Hinata to stay with them during the summers, where both boys can try to somewhat undo the damage that's been done. She has gotten better by each year but in the end it's her against her entire family and that's hard to compete with.

"That's enough." He says, grabbing Hinata's wrist when she missed a blow to him. "Let's stop for today."

He watches as Hinata bows respectfully but her expression is less than happy. Solemnly she walks away and grabs her bag, heading for the shower. Both brothers watch her leave in silence and Sasuke is the one that breaks it.

"She's not cut out for this."

Itachi agrees but says nothing. His mind is working, trying to come up with a more suitable plan for his 'little sister'. Sasuke looks frustrated, which has been making him rather snappish towards his friend.

An idea comes to him "The issue of Hinata's self esteem is due to her family, correct?"

His eleven year old little brother looks at him and then shrugs, looking irritable "It wouldn't hurt her to have a little backbone though."

Itachi ignores the comment; not wanting to argue that Hinata is heavily sheltered and has been told since the time she was five that she was worthless. Honestly, he's surprised the girl hasn't tried to kill herself yet. "A child's development is based on social situations, be that through family bonds or friendly. Our problem is that Hinata is surrounded by people that refuse to have the patience to deal with her. Our efforts to change that have been fruitless for two reasons." Noticing that he had Sasuke's full attention he continued "Firstly, we're not related to her. She is not an Uchiha, she is not part of our family, even if we treat her as such. Secondly, she lives in an environment that seems to be detrimental to her growth potential. We cannot do anything about the former, but we _can_ do something about the latter."

Shouldering his bag, Sasuke follows his big brother towards the main house "What are you talking about? She spends every summer with us and we get her to a point where she's getting better and then her family tears down all of what we've done. It's getting to be pointless."

"A few months aren't going to dramatically change her when she spends years with her family," the older Uchiha explained "However, an extended period of time under us could change things. She won't revert back so easily under her family's thumb."

An eyebrow rose "Extend it by how long?"

He didn't answer at first, because he was already going through his mind how he wanted to approach the subject to his mother and what his argument would be when it came down to convincing the Hyuuga. "Two to four years." He finally responded and Sasuke's eyes widened. "She's almost eleven, if we can influence her consistently with minimum interaction with her family I think it'll get her where she should be."

Sasuke snorted "How are you going to convince those guys to give up their heir for that long?"

"Don't worry about that." He said blandly. He had a few options to go on and none of them Sasuke needed to know about. Despite his attitude, Sasuke probably cared about the Hyuuga the most between them. They were close in age, lived near each other and they were very close. The irritation, frustration, and hostility from his little brother is more inward, he feels as if he's failing his friend. "In four years she'll be close to entering high school. Usually that's when friends opinions tend to hold a greater influence than families'. You two are close in age, if we can do this it will mean that she will be depending heavily on your opinion of her than any of us."

A small shrug "I want to help her. I hate her family."

By the time they entered the main house, Itachi already had the plan complete and he was absolutely positive it would work. After all, he is a genius.

xxxxx

"This will be an hour long exercise," twenty year old Itachi explained "We're using laser sets instead of paintball guns since last time you two were complete idiots and nearly killed each other." His little brother snorted and shoved his hands in his pockets; Hinata turned red and began to poke her fingers, looking sheepish. "It's a free for all and head shots give you an automatic win against your opponent. If you take a total of ten shots you are out of the game. _Do not beat each other with your guns_." He gave a pointed look to Sasuke who, once again, snorted and looked defiant. "If you do anything colossally stupid I'm going to let you take the fall with mother; you're old enough." Lifting up his sleeve he pulled the fabric of his shirt back "I will give you two a five minute head start to make things fair."

"We don't need a handicap." Sasuke snapped, looking rather irritated. "Or rather, _I_ don't need one. Dunno about Nata-chan."

Pale eyes shifted over to her 'brother' and she frowned slightly. She said nothing, however, to which Itachi was grateful for. At fifteen it appeared that Sasuke hit a phase where he pretty much disliked everyone and everything, especially his big brother. For the most part, his little brother had become somewhat of a jerk, irritated with Hinata because she looked up to Itachi and irritated with Itachi because he is constantly reminded of how inferior he is to him by the family. There is little he can do about this, he knew it would happen eventually. Their father is simply an asshole who has always ignored Sasuke for Itachi. With only a few more months to go before Hinata would return to her family, he would rather she leave on good terms with everyone.

"Sasuke, indulge me for today." He finally said "It is not often that I can take time from work to spend time with the two of you." He wouldn't admit that he needed those breaks where he could simply forget about the demands of the company and act like the teenager he never got to be. He tries to live through his siblings when he can, for those are the moments where he can actually feel _free_.

The older brother's statement hits Sasuke and he looks away, a little ashamed for his behavior "Whatever. Let's just get started."

He sets his timer once the two enter the forest and waits. Both teens had their own tactics when it came to games like this. Hinata would always take the high ground, moving through trees and up on ledges. Sasuke would stick more to the ground and camouflage himself, giving him better mobility. Both were rather good and it was usually a tie between the two of them unless big brother was involved.

Once the five minutes were up Itachi calmly entered the forest, his sharp eyes missing little. It didn't take him long to find Sasuke but when he did it seemed that Hinata had also spotted him and the two of them erupted into movement and missed shots. The eldest kept himself back and observed. So far, Sasuke had taken two hits and Hinata five. Sasuke was faster than her, so he was quickly able to catch up, climbing up into the trees where she had taken refuge. It became difficult to see after that but he kept his gaze towards the general direction. There was quite a bit of yelling, mostly from Sasuke. Then there was a loud snapping noise and his little brother fell down, landing on his back hard. Right as he landed his headband lit up, showing that he had taken a headshot.

"Damnit Nata-chan, that's cheating and you know it!" the boy snapped.

"It's not cheating Sasu-kun…just opportunity." Came the soft voice of his little 'sister'. Itachi smiled inwardly; convincing the Hyuuga to allow Hinata to stay with them for four years had dramatically increased her self-esteem and self-worth. She was still kind and gentle Hinata, the girl who blushed at everything and never raised her voice; but she was also more confident and sure of herself.

"It _is_ cheating. You hit me while I was down."

"Sasu-kun, you're just mad because you lost." She said and he bristled because she was right. "I have to go find Itachi-niisan so…" she trailed off and he saw her briefly as she moved further into the forest, leaving an irritated Sasuke behind.

Itachi followed at a distance, knowing that neither of them would be able to see him. This was Hinata's first time not being the first to lose and of course it was only through coincidence. She wasn't as good at hiding as Sasuke and her movements were limited because she insisted on taking higher ground. It took him no time at all to find her, she was skillfully perched on a rather thick branch and her back was facing him. She wasn't that high up so he decided to scale a tree close to hers, one of the branches only inches away from her. Taking aim, he was about to catch her attention when she suddenly turned and leaped, colliding into him. Startled beyond belief, he instinctively pulled the girl into his arms as they hit the ground. Then he rolled back, taking her with him so that he was on top, his gun aimed for her headband. He almost smirked when he saw her gun aimed at his.

"You did that on purpose." He remarked "You realized that I would probably come in from behind and you took advantage. How very underhanded of you." He was impressed.

Her face turned a bright red and she struggled to regain her breath. They sat there like that, guns pointed at each other's heads. Now breathing regularly she smiled softly at him "I'm only doing what Itachi-niisan taught me to do."

He has known this girl since she was five years old. An extremely introverted and shy girl, self esteem being demolished by her family due to her inability to perform 'above average'. He's watched her grow up from a shy girl to a pretty teenager and he has always seen her as the little sister he never had.

So when he looked at her this time and felt a strange tightness in his chest he hesitated, stunned. His hesitation cost him the game, but he didn't care about that. Itachi was oblivious to the two teens as they argued back and forth about the game on the way home. He remained strangely silent even after they returned to the main house. He avoided his siblings, retreated to his room and did not come down for dinner. He was twenty years old, five years the teens senior. He was their big brother, a solid foundation. They looked up to him and he was able to relax and ignore the pressures of the world with them. He has done a lot for those two, especially Hinata when he had convinced the Hyuuga to let her stay with them. Itachi still has yet to tell Sasuke exactly how that had been pulled off.

Hinata has always been like a sister to him, so when he had sat there in that forest and looked down at her, it had been as if he were seeing her for the first time. Her face had been flushed, her eyes bright, long hair splayed out around her, that trademark smile on her features. Sitting there holding his gun a feeling hit him so hard he was still trying to function properly. He was attracted to the girl, in more than brotherly-like fashion. The feeling was very unwelcome, he was twenty and she was fifteen. Not only that but Sasuke was practically in love with the girl, he was somewhat possessive over her and became jealous whenever Hinata gave any attention to his older brother – thus the reason he was cranky around both of them.

Obviously, he was mistaken. Whatever that feeling had been back there in the forest was _not_ attraction. He didn't know what in the hell it was, but it wasn't that. She was his sister and more than likely if she ended up with anyone it would be his little brother. On top of that, he felt like finding a fifteen year old attractive when he was a fully grown male to be disgusting. So he ignored it and eventually he stopped thinking about it.

xxxxx

It wasn't until later that he would find out Hinata had gone to him first to deliver the good news. Since she had been so excited yet did not want to spill the beans over the phone, he invited her to his apartment. She didn't know it but besides his mother, she was the only female that had ever seen his humble abode. It wasn't as if he were a social butterfly in any case, most females tended to shy away from him after a few dates.

Normally the cause would be that they were intimidated by him; he had been considered a child genius, he held two PhD's, two master's degrees and gods only knew how many bachelor degrees. He had graduated from high school at ten years old for crying out loud. He would even be running his family's corporation if he hadn't been so resistant to the idea. Itachi wasn't one who enjoyed bossing others around or giving out commands. He didn't like manipulating people and while he was certainly capable of running things flawlessly, he didn't want to. There was also the fact that he was currently not speaking to his father due to an argument concerning his treatment of his little brother. If his father wanted him so badly as president, he could suck it up and acknowledge his brother as an equal and treat him better. Enough was enough.

As he was preparing tea for his sister's arrival, he realized that it would be the first time she had ever been in his apartment alone. Normally she was either with his mother or Sasuke. An extremely uncomfortable feeling moved through him and he actually almost jumped – him of all people! – when she finally knocked on his door.

At fifteen Hinata had held an undeveloped beauty. Pale skin with white eyes tinted with lavender. She kept her hair long, the dark purple tresses coming down to her lower back. Now that Hinata was an adult, twenty two to be exact, she looked nothing short of absolutely amazing. Her long hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she wore a light but baggy beige jacket and snug but comfortable jeans. Her face had thinned out over the years, and she held an almost 'motherly' appearance, especially when she smiled gently. Her body, which had shown the beginnings of a rather curvaceous figure, did not fail to disappoint years later at full development. She was still soft-spoken but more confident than she would have been had she not stayed with the Uchiha for as long as she had. This was the girl that he and Sasuke grew up with as children, the girl that they had treated like a real sister – oh the poor boys that had suffered during her high school years – and both men loved her. Just in different ways. Sasuke's feelings had shifted back and forth from brotherly to romantic and then eventually settled on the former. He currently had a girlfriend, Ino, who he has been dating for three years. As for Itachi? He was madly in love with her.

He_ hated_ it.

"I'm sorry to bother you last minute like this, Itachi-niisan." She said, removing her jacket to reveal a cute but not revealing long sleeved purple shirt. While he went to get the tea she sat down on his comfortable, and highly expensive, couch.

"You are welcome here anytime Hinata, you know that." He said kindly, bringing the tray over and setting it down on the coffee table. He poured them both a cup of green tea "Although I am curious as to what the secret is."

A blush dusted her pale cheeks and she began to poke her fingers together before she realized what she was doing and then settled her hands back into her lap. She still had that nervous habit? "W-well, you know how I'm trying to get into the medical program, right?" when he gave a slight nod she continued "Well…they selected a few students from the school to participate in an abroad program for the next year and I was selected."

He gave her a genuine smile "I am happy for you. Studying abroad is a rather wonderful opportunity to learn unique things. Japanese medicine tends to be a bit different from other countries; it will definitely broaden your horizons."

Hinata beamed at him "I'm going to England," she elaborated "My English is pretty fluent so…" she trailed off, a habit of hers when she didn't have anything to complete the sentence.

"Congratulations," he said honestly "Have you told mother or Sasuke?"

She shook her head and almost started doing her nervous habit and stopped herself "No. I um, I wanted to tell you first since you've been so helpful to me since I've been in college. I don't think I would have gotten half of the scholarships I did without your help."

"Little assistance was needed; you are a very intelligent woman, regardless of what your family believes." Or rather, ex family. Due to her desire to pursue a career path that the family did not support, they disconnected themselves from her. Her tuition was paid through scholarships and jobs. His mother helped in her own way, she would give Hinata a rather hefty sum of money to do what she wished during birthdays and Christmas and the Hyuuga normally put it towards her tuition. She wouldn't accept handouts. He didn't blame her. Hinata might have been born a Hyuuga but her pride and current mindset was Uchiha.

His compliment caused her to blush even more, amusing him. It was that same blush that attracted her so much attention in High School and was the source of many suspensions of one Uchiha Sasuke when someone got 'too frisky' with his sister. It gave her a cute and innocent look.

After a moment, however, her blush faded and her smile turned downcast. Confused but slightly concerned, he made a small movement to catch her attention.

"Is something wrong, Hinata?"

Setting her cup down on the table her hands and eyes shifted to her lap. "Itachi-niisan…will you…will you miss me?" She had said it so softly he almost didn't catch it.

Leaning back on the loveseat he gave her a look, confused by her line of questioning "Of course, you're my little sister after all."

Apparently, that had _not_ been what she had wanted to hear as not only did she not cheer up, her expression became even more downcast. Quickly she stood up, surprising him with her reaction.

"I um, well thank you Itachi-niisan I…I have to go now." Her smile was shaky and before he could even stand up and ask her what was wrong she was out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thar be GaaHina in dis here story, just letting you know. Not sure if you'll like the subsequent chapters (personally I hate them) but this was actually my favorite chapter to write.

**2**

Contrary to popular belief, Itachi could express himself in various ways if he wanted to. Around people he did not know well or were business associates he was calm, cool, collected, and stoic. If his father was around, he would only relax if the rest of the family was there, but he was more distant. If around Sasuke, his mother, or Hinata, he was kind and gentle. He would smile, he would laugh and his facial expressions to anyone else would have looked foreign on him to them. The Uchiha was still calm and collected, he just _looked_ happier and that made all the difference.

The reverse was also true when it came to his family; or particularly Sasuke when he was in one of his moods. They were brothers and at times, they definitely acted as such.

"You know, for a genius you're really stupid."

Itachi's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. He had just entered his apartment from work when his brother had called his cell phone. Sasuke had asked him some rather strange questions concerning the other week with Hinata.

"I see you still think highly of me, little brother." He said rather sarcastically. Really, who called someone up just to call them an idiot?

"Why didn't you say anything to Nata-chan when she left?" the bite in the younger Uchiha's tone dropped, shifting to honest curiosity.

He wasn't at all sure of what Sasuke was referring to "I gave my farewells to her at the airport." She had acted stiff and strange to him, however, so he had kept his distance. Not as if he hadn't been doing that for the past seven years, but still. Details.

There was a rather exasperated sigh on the other line "No pledges of undying love? No hugs or kisses?" he was almost chuckling at this point, trying to hold it in.

Were he anyone but an Uchiha the older brother would have hacked, spluttered, and almost choked on the bottle of water he was currently enjoying. But he was an Uchiha, so he merely paused before removing the bottle from his lips. "Don't be ridiculous." He said low.

"What exactly did you tell Hinata when she asked you if you'd miss her?"

Itachi opened his mouth to respond and then closed it, thinking. He wasn't stupid, this line of questioning was going in some sort of direction, and he just didn't want to deal with it. Or admit it. He sighed, knowing the response he would get from his brother "I told her that I would miss her because she is my little sister."

There was silence. For a moment he almost thought Sasuke hung up on him. Then _his_ brother sighed "Itachi, when are you going to admit that you love Nata-chan and marry her already?"

The older Uchiha blanched. "I don't –" he was cut off

"Everyone knows, by the way." Itachi remained silent "I know it, mom knows it, hell, even some of our friends noticed it. So really, I need an answer because mom won't get off my back until I do."

Another twitch. _Oh mother, you meddlesome woman._ "Mother asked you to call me?"

"Well, Fugaku doesn't like the fact that you two are talking and he sneaks peeks at her phone." Sasuke explained. The two brothers had stopped calling him 'father' a long time ago "She wanted me to call and see what was going on and if you could meet up with her next week."

"Nothing is going on and yes, I will be more than happy to meet up with mother next week for lunch." He said tersely "We had this particular conversation when the two of you graduated high school. My answer has not changed."

"Whatever." Sasuke sounded a mix between annoyed and bored "I'm only bugging you because mom told me to bug you; I gave up on you _years_ ago since you have this weird denial thing going on. Whatever it is, mom will get it out of you so I'm done."

"It is nice to know that you still think of me when reminded. If you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork I need to work on from home." He hung up the phone.

A lot of him was annoyed; he hated it when people, even family, tried to delve into his private life so deeply. This was even more annoying, because it was about Hinata and his little brother was absolutely right; he was in denial. It didn't help that had the Hyuuga not disowned their daughter he would currently be in his first year of marriage to her. That had been the Hyuuga's price for the Uchiha to keep their heir for four years and he had readily accepted; believing that eventually she and his brother would get together instead. Sasuke, at the time, had already liked her a lot and she hadn't been adverse to him either. Of course, they had also been eleven.

What a horrible miscalculation on his part. Who knew that his two 'siblings' would date for only a year before going their separate ways? He didn't even know why, they had been quite tightlipped about it. Itachi hadn't been terribly worried about marrying her when she turned twenty-one, he was a man of his word and he would have tried to be a good husband to her even if it would have been awkward as hell. All that changed on her eighteenth birthday when her family disowned her after she told them that not only did she _not_ want to be heir and take over, that she wanted to be a doctor. A pediatrician. Had his family not been there he was sure it would have gone down a lot worse than it did.

For seven years he kept silent concerning his feelings towards his little sister, he had tried to discard the emotion altogether when it had first started. Unfortunately, they didn't call her 'little sister' for nothing, she had been constantly around. The girl had practically lived at their home even after she went back to her family. So eventually he had moved out into his own apartment and had started dating.

In those seven years he has dated about twenty women, none of which lasted longer than a month except for one. She had lasted two. The majority of the time they had broken up with him, for various reasons. A lot of it had to do with his attitude; he was almost cold to people he didn't know and this included girlfriends. He had been unable to loosen up around them and a few of them had even called him 'emotionless'. If it were not his attitude it was his intelligence. Apparently, being a recognized genius intimidated women. They would over think what they wanted to talk about to him and constantly worried that he would think them unintelligent if they even so much as breathed wrong. It was rather odd; yes he was very intelligent and he learned things at a ridiculous rate, but he was still a person. He liked 'normal' things and 'normal' people and he hadn't been looking for a woman who could match him in intelligence; he had wanted a woman that he could relax around and be comfortable with.

The only two women to ever succeed in this were his mother and, consequently, Hinata. When she looked at him she didn't see the image that the media had painted on him and even if she did she wouldn't care. She was an extremely patient and understanding individual, a necessity when dealing with two Uchiha males. Around her he didn't have to worry about people being intimidated by his intelligence; he wasn't even sure if he had ever had a deep, intelligent conversation with her before. Her family background had been rather abusive mentally and for a long while her cousin had been violent towards her physically a few times. That was part of the reason why the two brothers had been so protective over her, because Hinata had the potential to _be_ something and her family had utterly failed in bringing that out. Their tactics to make Hinata a strong person were rather traditional but too linear; their father had been the same way. Instead of trying to understand why she was such a naturally shy and quiet girl they scolded her for it and then scolded her when she retreated even further into herself. Scold enough times and they get the point right? Instead it had made her a bumbling mess of nerves, too jumpy and too jittery and quick to burst into tears over any minor mistake due to the high amount of stress she had been under.

Perhaps he had fallen in love with her because of how much stronger and confident she had held herself when she left their home to go back and live with her family. Or maybe it was simply because he could sit beside her in silence and it was never uncomfortable. Or it could be that when she looked at him she saw _him_ and it had just been so easy to look into those pale eyes of hers and feel lost within her gaze. It could be any number of things, but it didn't stop him from refusing to deal with it.

Was he…running away? He couldn't be scared of rejection; it was obvious that Hinata held some sort of feelings for him, although whether or not it was love was debatable. They were definitely close although once he began to grow feelings for her he stopped touching her as much and had become slightly distant emotionally. Hinata was of legal age now and he was only five years older than her. He knew he could comfortably live the rest of his life with her…so what was it?

Perhaps his mother would have the answers. Genius he may be but mother's tended to know things he couldn't even fathom at times.

xxxxx

The university she was staying in was massive in comparison to her last one. It was so large that after the first week of classes she had ended up having to buy a bike just to get from one side of the campus to the other so as not to be late. Since she was part of a 'program' she had been set up with other students in a small campus house very close to the university itself. There was about four of them in the three bedroom house, almost all of them from different countries.

Tenten was from Taiwan and it was interesting to go over kanji with hanzi. Almost all of the characters were the same, many of them simply held different meanings. Tenten's English wasn't as good as the others but it had only been a few weeks and she was already getting much better. She was a year ahead of her.

Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara were from the United States and they were siblings. Temari was the oldest; she was on her final year to graduating. Kankuro was the middle child who was very gruff when in a bad mood and flirty when not. Gaara was…interesting.

He wore these amazingly thick glasses and kept his hair brushed back. His clothing – on campus - was rather plain, almost poindexter-ish. On campus he was very quiet and reserved; he spoke to no one and held an aura that he didn't want to be spoken to. He was the same year as her and like her; he was an honors student on scholarships. All of this was on campus.

_Off_ campus the glasses came off and he'd muss up his hair until it looked like a straight mess. His regular clothes were the normal street clothes and somehow he always looked like a model walking around in them. Because he wore baggy and geeky clothing at school one would not notice the fact that he was not only rather tall – he hunched at school – but he was also in outstanding shape; a pleasant fact that Hinata and Tenten encountered one day when he had come out of the shower in nothing but jeans. The Hyuuga had almost sliced her finger off while she had been making dinner and Tenten damn near stabbed Kankuro in the eye with a dart instead of hitting the dart board. Not that Kankuro was bad to look at but Gaara was…and all that red hair…

Hinata had never seen foreigners before, especially those like the three siblings. To her surprise, she learned that they spoke Japanese fluently and Temari had told her that it was because Gaara's mother had been Japanese and so they had lived there for quite some time.

Tenten and Hinata both agreed, they were _really_ happy they ended up in a house with him.

Of course, he spoke to his roommates about as much as he spoke to the students in school – not at all. If they greeted them he would let out a small grunt or, if they were lucky, nod in their direction. After the first time they had seen him come out of the shower without a shirt on he must have noticed them staring because it had never happened again – to the girl's disappointment. He did not go out often, preferring to either lie on the couch and read or sit in his room and…read. If it was Hinata's night to cook he would take a plate and go into his room to eat, otherwise he'd get take out. That part actually made Hinata feel somewhat good about her culinary skills since the other three had tried their hands at cooking and Gaara had refused to eat it. Especially Temari's.

"What is that?" a deep voice came from behind her.

Jumping, Hinata spun to face the subject of her thoughts. His pale green eyes were looking down at her thoughtfully as he peeked over her shoulder to the large pot she was stirring. He was incredibly close for someone who didn't like to be around people, his face only inches from hers. Hinata's face turned a rather bright shade of red and she turned back around.

"I-Its um…it's…b-beef stew." She cursed her stuttering. She only did it when she was extremely nervous, such as now with an incredibly hot boy standing behind her that smelled like sandalwood.

"Ah." Was all he said and walked over to the couch. He flopped unceremoniously into it and pulled out a book to read.

Still nervous, the white-eyed girl stared hard at her stew bubbling. That had been the most he'd said to her since they had first moved in five weeks ago. Briefly looking around she noticed that they were actually the only two in the house. She and Tenten were sharing a room and the door was open so it probably meant she was bar hopping to play darts. Temari and Kankuro had yet to come back from school. A nervous chill went up her spine at being alone in a house with a boy.

_As if that's never happened before!_

But she had grown up with those two, hell; she and Sasuke had even taken baths together as little kids. The three of them held a bond that no one could break and she was extremely comfortable around them. Well, around Sasuke, anyway. Itachi on the other hand…

"Why are you making so much?" the redhead asked from his spot on the chair. She jumped again, not used to hearing him talk. He had a nice voice; low and smooth without being too deep.

"Ah, well…I was figuring that leftovers would be good for everyone as a lunch," she explained "And well…" she blushed "I cut up too many vegetables and meat for a smaller pot."

"You're an amazingly honest person." He still did not look up at her and for that she was grateful. Who knew what her face looked like right now?

"Um, thank you?" she said uncertainly; not knowing if his tone was supposed to be complimentary or not.

Why was he talking to her so much? He didn't speak to anyone inside or outside of class besides his siblings. Maybe he was just trying to branch out? Or he could be one of those people that simply take a while to loosen up around others.

Then he did something outrageous and started laughing. Well, it wasn't a 'laugh' so much as a few soft chuckles but it was something. Closing his book he put it on the coffee table and started to walk over to her again. Ears burning, she kept her gaze on the rather large pot of stew that was more than done but this ladle was her support damnit and she wasn't letting go as long as he was in the room.

"Do I make you nervous?" his voice sounded genuinely curious and when she sneaked a peek up at him he definitely looked curious, as if she were some sort of puzzle to solve.

"U-um…a little." She admitted "Because you've…you haven't really spoken to any of us until now so…"

"Oh." Was the simple reply but he did not move and she could continue to feel his eyes on her. This went on for a good five minutes, making her jittery and slightly uncomfortable. Did she accidently breathe in too much of Kankuro's weed or something? She had to be hallucinating this beautiful man standing really close to her.

"Hinata," he began and it took her a second to adjust to him calling her by her first name. They didn't address people by their surnames in England or the United States. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"What?" she jumped away from him, the ladle sinking into the pot just a bit before sliding down for the handle to meet the metal. Her eyes were wide but his expression remained as calm as ever. He looked curious, but nothing more. "W-why d-do…I mean you…"

"Why am I asking?" he finished for her and she nodded. A small, slow smile emerged "Why do you think?"

This was…he was…so different. Smiling, talking, these were things she had never seen him do until now. It made him a lot less intimidating and very…attractive. Not that he wasn't already, but this time it went beyond the physical.

Itachi flashed through her mind at the question. Hinata had loved him since the time he first held her hand when she was five. It had started out as admiration of his strength and kind nature and evolved into something much more when she became older. There was that awkward year where she and Sasuke had dated their second year of high school, but she had a feeling that it had been more of a curiosity thing on his part than anything else. Not that he hadn't been a great boyfriend, he had been amazing. It had just been painfully obvious to the both of them that they weren't what the other wanted romantically.

The older Uchiha was different. They had all been kids when they had first met but Itachi was a bit older than them so eventually he started coming around less and was constantly busy with work his father gave him. Regardless he had still taken time to 'play' with them and be there for them like any other big brother. He had held her when she cried, especially the night her mother had died, tickled her when she had been defiant, poked her on her forehead just as often as he did Sasuke, although a little lighter because she was a girl. The romantic feelings emerged around the time she hit puberty at the age of thirteen. She felt like she hid them well since he never commented on it or called her out for being annoying.

Unfortunately, he only saw her as his 'little sister'. He never had, and probably never would, see her as anything beyond that. All the wishing in the world wouldn't change that.

Something must have changed her expression because he suddenly turned away from her and started walking back to the couch "It's fine," he said, misunderstanding her silence "forget I asked."

"W…wait –" she took a few steps forward and he paused, turning to her with a blank expression "N-no. I don't um, I don't have a boyfriend. I mean, there was someone I loved before I came h-here but the feeling wasn't mutual."

With his long legs he was back to standing in front of her in over a second. Still blushing, his fingers tipped her chin up as he regarded her. There was something very warm and comforting about that gaze, so different from the closed off mask he seemed to wear. He was a lot like Itachi in a way; Itachi also seemed cold and unapproachable unless you knew him and even then he only truly relaxed around family.

"That is unfortunate for them," he said softly "and hopefully fortunate for me." His gaze flickered to her lips when she lightly bit her bottom lip and then moved back up to her eyes. "I started liking you the second week you were here. I've been waiting for a while to get you alone to talk to you. I –" the calm façade faded a bit when a light blush moved over his face and he looked away briefly "I'd like you to be my girlfriend, if you're okay with that."

Dumbstruck, she just stared at him for a moment. There was no way this beautiful, highly attractive man wanted to date her. Clearly she must have taken a puff or five from Kankuro's stash without realizing because she was losing it. "What?" she asked dumbly.

At this point he was obviously embarrassed and began to pull away. Without thinking, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. They both looked down at her hand. When she fidgeted slightly he finally understood the real reason for her silence and smiled, his fingers brushing along her jaw.

"I asked you," he repeated, his arms moving around her waist. She didn't resist as he pulled her closer and bent down to whisper in her ear "if you'd be my girlfriend. I really like you, Hinata."

Pale eyes looked up at the male "I'm not…you _are_ real right?" she asked seriously.

Gaara blinked at her as if she had lost it before laughing a bit "Yes," he responded "I am very real and I am very anxious to hear your answer."

Because she simply could not trust her mouth not to spew out any more embarrassing comments she merely nodded and closed the distance between them to bury her face in his chest, shy. This would be her second boyfriend and as much as she loved Itachi, she couldn't pine for a man that didn't want her forever. Besides, she liked Gaara and she was happy and flattered beyond belief that he wanted _her_ to be his girlfriend out of an entire campus of really pretty girls.

He let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding and his arms tightened around her. They stood like that for a long while, her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. His head was buried in the crook of her neck.

"Can I –" he began, sounding very hesitant "I know this has just started but can I kiss you?" she stiffened slightly "I've been…wanting to for a while now." Instead of verbally answering she nodded, her heart pounding when he pulled back to look at her. He was definitely blushing now but his gaze was intense, as if making sure that she was really okay with it. Satisfied, his hands framed her face and he bent his head.

His lips were surprisingly soft and his hands felt so warm and nice on her skin. He didn't linger, not wanting to push his luck, but when he pulled back she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back in. His arms came around her tightly then as they deepened the kiss, enjoying the feel of being in each other's arms.

…And then something was burning.

Surprised, they pulled away to notice the pot of stew emitting a rather strange odor and stream of black smoke. With a cry she rushed over to the pot to salvage what she could, berating herself for not turning off the stove when the stew had been more than ready.

"Oh…I'm so…I'm so sorry." She apologized for some strange reason "A lot of it will be good still so…"

Something warm touched her lower back and she looked up to see Gaara brushing past her to grab pot holders and removed the pot once she had finished getting the stew into another container. "It's my fault really," he said softly "I…distracted you."

"I didn't mind." She blurted out and then put her hands over her mouth. When she looked back up at him he was smiling.

"Good." He said and began to fill the burnt pot with water.

xxxxx

When Hinata initially left the country she had written many letters and sent out e-mails to everyone at least once a day. Happy that she was doing well Itachi responded to every e-mail when he could, even if he wrote one line or a few words. She sent everyone pictures digitally of England, a few places being familiar to him from when he had last visited as a child. She talked about how she was glad the classes were challenging and she wrote about her roommates. After a while the e-mails went down to three times a week and then eventually only every weekend and in one huge e-mail about her entire week.

She called once every two weeks and their conversations were short but pleasant. A few times he had sensed that she had wanted to tell him something but hesitated. He never inquired and she never spoke up, so he dismissed it after a while.

Talking to his mother about the problem had been rather fruitless, he still had no answer as to his strange aversion to Hinata concerning furthering their relationship and his mother merely clucked at him and told him that this was something he needed to think out on his own. Like that was helpful; he had been trying to think on it for seven years. It was rather frustrating. Like usual, he eventually just decided to forget it altogether since nothing would happen from it anyway.

Five months later he received an e-mail from his 'sister' that marked the beginning of some rather stressful months for everyone.

_Itachi-niisan,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written you in a while, there was this week long festival going on and I was dragged around by Tenten and Gaara. It was fun but very exhausting._

_So far my grades are all A's with the exception of Child Psychology. I think that professor hates me, he's so mean. All of my professors (except the one that hates me) claimed that they would write a good recommendation for me when I leave, I'm so grateful._

_I learned that Tenten likes more than just playing darts; she has an entire arsenal of daggers, knives, and other really sharp things that she had been hiding away. I only found it because I was cleaning our room and she had forgotten to lock it up like she always does. She was a little embarrassed but I told her that I actually like and know how to use tonfa and kama's and now she talks nonstop about martial arts and weapons. I feel like I'm really growing close to her._

_Temari has been gone a lot to see her boyfriend. Gaara and Kankuro found out about the guy, another abroad student named Shikamaru Nara. It wasn't pretty. They were just like you and Sasu-kun, making threats and promising bodily harm should he ever hurt her. Temari was so _mad_ about it because she's the oldest and she doesn't like them fussing over her like that._

…_Um…speaking of boyfriends…I haven't said anything because I wasn't really sure what to make of it at first but…Gaara and I have been dating for these past five months. I didn't want to say anything until I knew that he was serious and not just looking for a quick relationship but I think he really does like me. I like him a lot as well…it's a really nice feeling. I hope you can meet him someday; he was originally from Japan before moving to the States and maybe towards the end he will come and visit me before going back home. I'm really hope that we can stay together._

_How is everyone? I haven't heard from Mama-chan in a while now, is everything okay? I know last time I spoke to her she said she was under the weather. I sent her an herbal remedy my mother used to make, could you see if she received it? I'm really worried about her, she gets sick so easily._

_And what's this about Sasu-kun getting married? Please tell me he's going to wait until I get back, if he doesn't I'll…I'll…kick him in the shins. Or something. Tell him not to get married without me being there!_

_Wow, this was really long. I know you're very busy so I'll end it here. Please take care of yourself; Mama-chan says you've been working overtime a lot again. There's nothing wrong with resting, the work will get done all the same. Whoops, there I go again! I'll call you next week._

He only read the e-mail once before deleting it. There was the sensation of something warm moving along in his chest and then…nothing. Itachi began to feel strangely numb. He leaned back in his office chair with a blank look on his face. For the first time in his life his thoughts were actually quiet. There was simply…nothing. Hinata had a boyfriend. Had it been Sasuke he wouldn't have minded; he would have expected it actually. Now for some reason the thought of her having a boyfriend seemed to click off something in his mind.

After a few minutes of feeling completely numb he went back to his paperwork, his chest suddenly feeling very cold.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Okay so FF(dot)net hates the dividers I've been putting in and told me to go screw myself I had to go through all of my chapters and make sure it wasn't completely disorienting reading the scenes (because it disoriented the hell out of me and I wrote the damn thing). I'm kinda sorta really _annoyed_ by it but whatever.

I think in another story someone mentioned that I write Sasuke slightly OOC(it was the second chapter of Ruby Slide, and it was done on purpose because Sasuke was _pissed_ so he was cursing a _lot_). I am sure folks will think the same in the upcoming scenes. I usually base Sasuke's personality on the basic features and then try to think about how he would be if he were in the AU situation I'm putting him in. Like, take this Sasuke and then go read chapter 3 of _The Life of a Prodigy_ and there's a huge difference. I dunno why but I always end up making him curse a lot when angry. Personally, I like tinkering with the personalities, especially if I get giggles from it. Sasuke made me giggle lots writing this. :D

**3**

"He's avoiding you?" Uchiha Mikoto, aka 'Mama-chan', sounded slightly worried "Are you sure he's not just busy?"

There was a small pause over the phone "He won't respond to my e-mails and whenever I call the first time it will ring and go to voice mail and then after that straight to voice mail. Mama-chan, is…Itachi-niisan angry with me?"

The Uchiha matriarch resisted the urge to sigh. Her sons really could be a handful sometimes "I don't believe at all that he's upset with you Hinata-chan. He probably really is busy; I haven't heard much from him either."

"W-well…" Hinata sounded very distraught "it's been almost four months…"

Oh dear. She wasn't going to tell Hinata but the girl's suspicions were correct, her eldest son _was_ avoiding her. But why? The last time she had spoken to him he hadn't seemed to be angry with Hinata, merely confused in regards to his feelings for her. It made her sad; Itachi's life had been rather rigid and cold with the exception of Sasuke and little Hinata. Professionally, he was outstanding; personally, her son was socially stunted. He was always too distrustful of others to let his guard down, a result of years of individuals trying to use and manipulate him because he had been young and a genius. Itachi had a very small comfort zone concerning people in his life and the man simply refused to allow anyone else within those boundaries. It wasn't even something he was intentionally doing, he was just being himself.

"Have you talked to Sasuke about it?"

"M-maybe I should…" she sounded heartbroken. "Sasu-kun might know something…I don't know." There was a shaky sigh "Mama-chan, I have such a bad feeling about all of this…I wish he would at least say _something_, even if it's to tell me he's upset."

Mikoto was silent, going over her options. She could try and talk to Itachi herself to get to the bottom of things, but even prior and right after Hinata had left he had made it rather clear he didn't want to delve too deeply into the mystery that was his feelings for the girl. Both of her sons were stubborn.

Meaning that she was going to have to 'Play Dirty'.

"Call Sasuke." Mikoto advised firmly "Tell him what's going on. Everything. If anyone can get to the bottom of this, it's him."

"Th-thank you Mama-chan…I'll do that now."

"Goodbye sweetie." Flipping her cell phone closed she sighed. While Hinata had put on a brave front for her she would not do so with Sasuke. She was very worried and upset, meaning that she would probably end up crying. If there was one thing her sons hated it was hearing their little sister cry. Usually the end result was something violent, especially if Sasuke was involved.

She just hoped things wouldn't get too far out of hand. Her oldest was a pacifist by nature but her youngest had always been rather rough around the edges. He was also irritated about the situation between Hinata and Itachi, which would only make things worse. Sasuke loved Hinata, or rather, had until he had met Ino. He had been happy when the two of them had started dating and things had gone rather well for that year. It had always been obvious that Hinata had held some sort of crush on her oldest son since she was a little girl, but everyone had believed that it was one-sided. Itachi was much older after all and he treated her no differently than he always had.

_Somehow_, Sasuke had found out the truth. Then he made a decision, which was to let Hinata go. His reasoning being that if she loved Itachi and he loved her, they deserved to be together. That was why _he_ was the one who needed to hear of the situation. More than likely, this would be the straw that broke the camel's back for her youngest. He had put aside his feelings for his older brother, hoping that since the two of them held feelings for each other they could be happy. More than likely, now he would be feeling as if he had wasted his time and Sasuke _did not_ like wasting his time.

Her children were such a mess sometimes.

xxxxx

What was wrong with him?

Slender fingers pause over the keyboard, their owner blinking a few times in confusion. It kept happening, these gaps in his routine. He would be sitting and doing work and then a moment later he would blink and ten or twenty minutes had passed by and he couldn't at all remember what he had been thinking about or even doing for that matter. Was he going into some sort of trance? It had even happened during a board meeting the other week, which was why today was his last day in the office.

Fugaku had ordered him to take a three week vacation, as blanking out in the middle of an important meeting wasn't something he wanted to continue to deal with. Even now he seemed to be in a sort of daze-like state, his mind thinking about everything and nothing.

Leaning back in his chair, the older Uchiha sibling pinched the bridge of his nose. Was his stress finally getting to him? The past few months he has been drowning himself in his work and sleep had become difficult for him. Often he would become irritated and he would have no idea why. He felt strangely detached; perhaps that was the reason for the blank outs? No, more than likely it truly was the stress of overworking.

Where in the world was he going to go for a vacation? He wasn't exactly a man who liked to go out and mingle, he had always been content to stay within the confines of his own home, reading or relaxing. Of course, he had been forbidden to spend his vacation in his apartment because, and it was true, he would simply start working from home. Okinawa perhaps? Spain? Italy? He had yet to visit Rome and he had always wanted to visit the historical sites; history had always been a subject he thoroughly enjoyed.

He was musing over his options for his forced vacation when his door to his office slammed open, revealing his younger brother. Sasuke was flushed and slightly out of breath…he was also angry. Very angry.

_Has something happened?_ Concerned, Itachi's brows furrowed as he slowly stood from his chair and began closing the distance. "Sasuke?" he tilted his head slightly "Is everything alright?"

His brother had locked the door, denoting the seriousness of the situation, and walked towards him, his expression grim. He reached Itachi.

And then he punched him in the jaw.

Staggering back, the older brother's eyes widen in astonishment. He was so stunned that he was struck speechless. Itachi couldn't remember the last time the two of them actually physically fought each other. Had they ever? Training and sparring obviously didn't count but…

Then the wind was knocked out of him as his brother collided into him and the men went tumbling to the ground. Teeth snapped painfully as the back of his head hit the floor hard. At this point instinct kicked in; hands snapped out and grabbed onto Sasuke's shirt. With his legs he throws the younger sibling over his body and is almost instantly up on his feet, slightly crouched.

His brother flipped up on his feet and then the two crashed onto the floor again, Itachi not wanting to actually fight his brother. His confusion is evident but his little brother wasn't saying anything, he just glared.

Sasuke tried to pin his brother down, but Itachi was stronger and faster. Although he hasn't practiced in a while, his body still remembers and within seconds he has the younger brother pinned, one hand at his throat to keep him still. He takes a moment to regain his breath before he speaks.

"Sasuke," he begins "what in the world –"

"You." The younger brother spat, pushing at his brother. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's arm as he moved to his feet, pulling the other male up. Sasuke snatched his arm out of his brother's grip "Are an asshole. Did you forget the promise we made, the one _you_ came up with?" aggravated, he shoved a hand through his hair. After a pause his eyes snapped back up at his brother "Get _over_ whatever the fuck your phobia is about Hinata, it's past the point of ridiculousness, Itachi.

Lightly rubbing his jaw, the older brother frowned. Why was did it always come back to this? It was irritating, he was tired of it, tired of everyone trying to force him into doing something.

_Calm down. You haven't been sleeping and you're stressed._ He reasoned with himself _Don't get angry._

He took a small breath before responding "Has mother put you up to this?" he asked "I've already explained –"

"Don't." the younger snaps at him "I don't get it, brother, I really don't." a scowl "You love her, you _know_ she loves you, what the hell is your problem? Why do you keep pushing her away? And no, mom didn't put me up to this, but she's really worried and stressed out. This _has to stop_. Tell me, right here, right now, why?"

Taking control over his emotions, Itachi tried to think. Something significant happened to make his brother lash out like this; Sasuke didn't just go around attacking people for no reason. Once again he tried to explain himself "For one," he began "there's the rather large gap between us in ages…"

"Itachi!" his little brother truly was at his wits end "Hinata. Is. Not. Fifteen. Anymore. She hasn't _been_ fifteen for seven years. She's in her twenties and you are not that much older than us." He crossed his arms, glowering at him "Alright, so you found out at twenty years old that you held more than brotherly feelings for your fifteen year old adoptive sister," Itachi stiffened at this, how did Sasuke… "you freak out because you want to sleep with the girl you've known half of, at the time, your life. So what?"

"I'm not sure if you've realized this," the older Uchiha said, his voice low. He was angry, very angry, but he knew it was only because Sasuke was telling the truth he had tried to deny and lock away ever since he had first experienced it. "but men who hold relationships with minors tend to go to jail, for statutory rape no less. Not to mention the fact that entertaining such a scenario at those ages is appalling and wrong. Those thoughts, those feelings…they never should have existed to begin with. I was a grown man _pining_ after a child barely into high school. Were it anyone else, it would be considered disgusting and abhorrent."

Once more he tried to calm himself by breathing evenly. There, those words…those damnable words that he had never spoken aloud were out. Thinking it was one thing, saying it out loud, it only brought back the disgust and shame he had felt then with a sickening force.

"Fine, whatever, but the fact is you didn't do anything about it," Sasuke countered "and it's stupid to look at it like that; you weren't a pedophile, you just grew feelings for a girl you'd known since you were ten. It wasn't like you were some sick fucking stalker or whatever. The three of us grew up together, even when Fugaku was carting you around everywhere like some sort of prized trophy because you were a genius we still all managed to play together at that time. Before Hinata, you had never smiled, hell, you barely spoke unless spoken to. Then she showed up and mom started using that as an excuse to get you to have some semblance of a fucking childhood since Fugaku wasn't. You started smiling; you started talking, for a little while you got to be a kid with us.

"You were the one who made that deal with the Hyuuga's to keep Hinata because we were all tired of seeing the effects of the abuse she had been getting at home. You were the one that made me promise that we'd look out for her; especially when you got older because Fugaku forced you to become more involved with the company. You were never happy unless the three of us were together, why is it so surprising that you'd fall for her after a while? Everybody knew about the crush I had on her when we were kids. The only difference between you and me is that I grew out of it. You didn't; instead the feelings got deeper. Why is that such a big deal?"

"I've already given you my reasons, regardless of how long I had known her, it didn't change the fact that she –"

"Whatever." Sasuke cut off "Okay fine, you were a fucking pervert for three years, happy now?" the older Uchiha flinched slightly "I don't know if _you've_ noticed it or not but Hinata's been legal for oh…I'd say four years now? So, what's the hold up?"

Itachi did not respond because he had no answer. It was the same question he had been asking himself every now and then for a while, but had always come up blank. He didn't know why he had kept denying it and refusing to deal with it; it was simply that dwelling on it felt wrong to him, feeling that way still felt wrong to him. Hinata was his little sister; the little girl whose smile he had wanted to protect because her presence had enabled him to actually live a little those few years before Fugaku had snatched him up at fifteen. He had always loved her, but it had been platonic. When it became more it had been…devastating. Upsetting.

"You want to know what your problem is?" Sasuke spoke up, making sure he had his brother's full attention "The problem is that when you realized that you fell for her, time stopped for you. No matter how old Hinata got, you still saw a fifteen year old and it kept freaking you the hell out. When's the last time you've actually _looked_ at her? If I asked you the image that comes to mind when you think about her, I'd bet my yearly salary you'd see a fifteen year old girl, not twenty two year old woman."

"I'm not blind Sasuke, I'm well aware that she's –"he paused, stunned. Just now, he _had_ tried to picture Hinata. The first image that came to mind was a young girl in her school uniform, smiling brightly. He tried then to picture Hinata just before she had left to go abroad. The clothing she had worn the night she had told him the news were correct, but the girl was shorter, had a rounder face and looked much younger. He continued going in his mind over and over Hinata over the years after the age of fifteen, but every single image, every memory – and he had a photographic memory – was of her at fifteen. It was as if she had never aged, even though logically that was impossible.

Something flew at him and he caught a small dark object. Sasuke's wallet. The owner inclined his head "There's a picture of me, Nata-chan, and mom that was taken just before she left. Does she look like a fifteen year old to you?"

Opening the wallet he immediately saw the picture, it was in one of the side pockets, slightly rough around the edges. They were at a park; Sasuke was in the middle with his arms around his mother and Hinata, unsmiling of course. Their mother was smiling, but it looked tired and slightly strained, a standard expression for her now unfortunately. Hinata however…

She came just barely up to Sasuke's shoulder and she was standing properly, slightly leaning against his younger brother. Her hair was a little longer, just a bit past her lower back, and her body looked…different. Matured. While her face had lost the roundness of childhood it was not slender either. Her skin was still pale, the small blush dusting across her cheeks highly visible because of it. She was smiling warmly but the woman he was looking at didn't _feel_ like Hinata. This person was clearly a fully grown woman with the same kind eyes and gentle smile.

Why couldn't he remember her looking like this? As a girl she had been pretty, as a woman she held a rather classic beauty; not gorgeous, not ugly, just beautiful.

Sasuke was…absolutely right. Because he had felt so wrong about holding feelings for her back then his mind had seemed to 'lock' onto that image. He began to associate her with those feelings and had stopped seeing her in a realistic light. She had kept trying to become closer and he had recoiled, disgusted with himself for reacting to her. Hinata had never once complained but it had been obvious that their relationship was not as carefree and light hearted as before. He had stopped being able to fully relax around her and she began to dance around him verbally so as not to upset him in response. She had tried to reestablish the easy camaraderie they had shared when they had been children and he had distanced himself from her. He could only imagine what she believed his thoughts were on her since she had no idea as to why he had basically cut her out of his life slightly. Why in the world was the girl still in love with him? She had to have believed that he somewhat disliked her or that she had done something wrong for the past seven years.

Not that it mattered anymore.

He tossed the wallet back and sighed "Alright little brother I'll admit it, everything you've said about me is true. However, trying to say that I should be with her when she clearly has moved on and is happy with her boyfriend is not an idea I am willing to entertain."

The two brothers stared at each other for a long moment. Then Sasuke made an irritable snort and turned to leave.

"You need to fix this." The younger brother stated "Because if Nata-chan calls me up in _tears_ one more time because of_ your_ bullshit I'm going to do more than just punch you in the jaw."

His eyes widened slightly "She's been…" _Crying? Why?_ "She's upset?"

Sasuke snorted "Yeah Itachi, that's what happens when the person you grew up with abruptly stops all communication with you for four months. It's your own fault she has a boyfriend, how long did you think she was going to wait for you to get over your…phobia? Or whatever it was." He opened the door, glaring at the small crowd that had been eavesdropping "Don't you have work to do or something?" he snapped, irritated. Sasuke paused.

"Oh yeah," he said "Call mom. She says she wants to talk to you."

This time he gently closed the door.

xxxxx

"Good evening mother," she heard her first born's smooth and low voice over the line "I apologize for calling your cell phone but I appear to have misplaced the house number."

Setting her book down, Itachi's mother shifted in her cushy chair, knowing she might as well be comfortable for the conversation.

"Oh!" she said cheerfully, "So then, Sasu was able to get in touch with you?"

She could hear his amusement "Yes, Sasuke indeed got 'in touch' with me." He said dryly "I also have a sneaking suspicion that you were somehow involved in all of this, mother."

Mikoto made a clucking noise at her son "You're always so suspicious, I haven't heard from you in the last few months, I've been worried."

"Ah. So then, am I incorrect to assume that, knowing Hinata, she had called _you_ first about my silence before contacting Sasuke, knowing you are the calmer of the two? If so, I might also be incorrect about the fact that, knowing you mother, you may or may not have 'pushed' her to call him, knowing that he would become angry. It is oddly convenient that at the end of it I am asked to contact you. These are just assumptions, of course." The last part was said with obvious sarcasm.

She made a small huffing sound "Alright _fine_, Itachi. I might have suggested to Hinata-chan to call Sasuke even though she was already very distraught. I might have." She insisted.

"Ah. I see." She couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling from his tone, it sounded too bland.

"But four months?" she started, wanting to take the heat off of her. Itachi really was too smart for his own good "I'm surprised she hadn't broken down earlier, she had always been rather attached to you, even as a little girl."

"Hm. Perhaps she has been too distracted to concern herself with it overmuch until now."

The Uchiha matriarch opened her mouth, eyes wide. Had he just? Had that been irritation in his voice? She closed it with a snap and then opened it again "Itachi…are you jealous of Hinata-chan's boyfriend?" she couldn't even believe those words had just come out of her mouth. Itachi had never demanded attention or had shown any signs of jealousy growing up; she didn't think it was possible.

There was a pregnant pause "Mother, I could have very well been referring to her school work. I have read all of the e-mails and letters she has sent me and she has a full schedule."

She smiled "Yes, you could have. But you weren't. As a mother I can sense these things."

"I am not…" there was a pause and then a long, suffering sigh. He sounded flustered "Nevermind. Between you and Sasuke, I might as well not even think to make any attempts to defend myself."

So stubborn "So then, you're not jealous over the fact that Hinata-chan has a boyfriend she's going steady with? And don't lie to your mother, I'll know."

He didn't lie. In fact, he said nothing at all. After a long enough pause to figure out that Itachi wasn't going to answer her question, she sighed. "You father told me that you have three weeks of vacation time you're taking."

"If by 'taking' you mean 'being forced against my will' then yes."

Mikoto couldn't blame her son for being in an irritable mood so she jumped ahead with her plan "Well then, why don't you pay Hinata-chan a visit? You can tell her personally why you haven't spoken to her."

There was a very, very long pause. "I am assuming that, like Fugaku and his insistence on my vacation, this is not a request."

"You owe it to her, Itachi." She said firmly "You have no idea how upset she's been. She thinks you hate her." Well, 'hate' was a strong word but it never hurt to exaggerate every now and then if it got the desired results.

"Mother," he began after another pause "for the first time in my life I have absolutely no idea of what I should do." He admitted, his voice sounding slightly pained "The logical choice, of course, would be to explain things properly to her yet…I do not wish to see her right now."

"Why?" better to let him talk it out instead of her making accurate guesses. Mikoto had a feeling that he needed to do this.

"Sasuke pointed out something that I had not been aware of. Now that I know, it changes everything yet the conclusion is not something I wish to deal with. And then again, at the same time this 'thing' that was pointed out to me has not simply faded away, leaving me at a complete emotional loss to a very logical situation. Even if by some miracle the conclusion turned out to be favorable for me, I would still be at a loss concerning how to proceed due to these rather complicated feelings. I feel incredibly frustrated and confused."

If they had been speaking face to face, Mikoto would have gotten up and hugged her son. She was so close to both of her boys, they knew they could tell her anything and they usually did. She really wanted to give Itachi some hopeful advice but unfortunately…

"I wish I could give you a real solution," she began "but this has gone on for too long and it's become so complicated that I…there is a higher chance that she will choose him over you, if you decided to tell her the truth. She really likes him and then there's the fact that she hates hurting others. You don't have to tell her how you feel, but you at least should apologize and let her know that you don't hold any negative feelings towards her."

"Mother, may I be completely honest with you?"

"That's a silly question, dear."

"At the moment I am sitting here in my apartment, going through my photo albums. For years I had been unable to see Hinata past a certain age, which is why I kept my distance. Now that I understand this, I wish I had remained ignorant. I see these pictures. I see her, older, mature. Now that I finally understand, now that I can see her like this, my desire to be with her has become so intense it actually feels physically painful. It's as if all of the feelings I kept denying and pushing back have come rushing in and I am struggling to categorize and organize it and failing completely. I have no idea what I will do once I see her, and that alarms me. It is disorienting to look at a situation and not be able to know how I will handle it; my mind has never worked that way. There are _logically_, several ways I can, and should, approach this."

"Itachi," his mother cut in "You have always been able to use logic and deduction concerning just about everything. When your father introduced you to all of those business men you took all of the knowledge on the situation and made thousands of deductions, ready to pluck one from your mind depending on the scenario. You have always been able to do that, to think one step ahead of others, to always know how to come in prepared. But Hinata isn't a businessman and she's not one of the few girlfriends you had but didn't really have any feelings for. She's not someone you can shut out emotionally because you care for her too much. When it comes to true matters of the heart, dear, it's rare to be able to predict what could happen. You can't detach yourself from this, if she rejects you, it _will_ affect you. It's alright to be afraid of it, but don't run away from it. You are going to have to play it by ear and hope for the best."

'Play it by ear', she knew it was a concept Itachi didn't understand. A lot of it had to do with how rigid his life had been. It had been so linear, too linear. Predictable. So her son never approached something without a plan, he was just too much of an organized individual. Having to go out without being able to determine _anything_ was going to plague her intelligent son. Having to go out without being able to do anything to prepare _and_ being unable to gauge your reactions to it emotionally was probably terrifying for him.

He was aware that he could be rejected despite his long time feelings. He probably even thinks that it's definitely going to happen. The problem was that he didn't know how he would feel about it. Would he become angry? Hurt? Indifferent? What if the boyfriend is there? Would he become jealous and act irrationally? Would he lose his nerve and say nothing? There were too many variables for him, too many things that could go right or horribly wrong. Her son's life is built on structure and organization; this is his first time really dealing with something 'chaotic'.

"Thank you for the advice mother," he finally said after a long moment "I will fly out to England within a day or so. Please do not tell Hinata I am coming. I'll need some time before deciding how I will approach her."

Mikoto smiled "Of course not, dear. I really do hope things work out for you." Her grin widened "Because I would _love_ to have Hinata-chan actually be related to us…and she'd be able to give me the cutest grandbabies…"

"Goodbye, mother." He sounded rushed and a little strained as he hung up the phone abruptly. The Uchiha matriarch laughed. One step at a time, she supposed. One step at a time. 


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I'm uploading this chapter because it's probably one of the most important ones and I don't feel like making you guys wait for it. I won't spoil it for you, although I will say that writing Itachi while he was in England was absolutely hilarious for me. I wanted to go a different direction with how he would deal with something so completely out of his range of understanding and I thought I did aiight.

I've also realized that I _really_ need to stop putting Gaara in SasuHina, ItaHina fics because GaaHina is my OTP and I end up wanting to change it to GaaHina because I'm a ham like that. I must be a glutton for punishment because I keep doing it *sigh*Anyway, enjoy.

xxxxx

4

xxxxx

It was early February so it was still awfully cold in London. Although Japan did have its four seasons in certain areas, this type of cold was completely different from what she was used to. Even though she was sitting in a warm café with a cup of hot chocolate she could still feel the cold from outside in her bones. Even the thick coat she had brought hadn't been enough to keep the cold out to her liking.

Three more months and she would be returning to Japan. She felt so mixed about it. On one hand she really wanted to go back home, she missed Japanese food and culture. On the other hand leaving England meant leaving her boyfriend of nine months for an undetermined amount of time before seeing each other again.

Their relationship was a quiet one. When it was only the two of them in the house they were very affectionate, cuddling, watching an interesting film or…other things. At school they didn't interact much as they both were focused on their studies. He didn't try to hide that they were together; however, during the classes they both shared he sat beside her. During lunches he would meet up with her and he had no qualms about holding her hand if they were walking through campus. A few people had made comments to her about it – why are you dating that geeky looking guy? – and she would always smile and shake her head. If only they knew. Underneath the thick glasses and somewhat nerdy clothes housed a…well he knew how good he looked damnit.

They didn't go out much, but neither of them had been very social people to begin with. If Gaara wanted to spend time with her but everyone was around, he would drag her into his room and lock the door, just like before when he had first showed up. They both shared a lot of the same interests and had never really had a fight. A few disagreements, but every time they had ended with the two of them laughing at their absurdity.

He was very intelligent. Like Itachi he had also been somewhat of a child genius, although not exactly at the Uchiha's level.

Inwardly, she frowned at how, once again, her 'brother' had entered her thoughts.

Their relationship had been rather tense right along the time she had entered high school and she hadn't understood it then and she didn't understand it now. It was as if one day Itachi had woken up and decided that he didn't like her so much anymore. He had stopped hugging her or putting a friendly arm around her shoulders when the three of them were together. He didn't joke as often with her and he always seemed to be emotionally distant, which had hurt her deeply.

She wished she could figure out what she's been doing wrong all of these years, she desperately misses those times when the three of them had been especially close. The more she had tried to pick and probe the more distant he had become with her. He wasn't cold but he wasn't really the 'Itachi-niisan' she had grown up with any more. Now all of a sudden while she's abroad he cuts off all contact with her. Was that it then? Did he really just want nothing more to do with her? Why? Why didn't he like her anymore?

"You've been crying a lot lately." A deep voice comes in.

Blinking out of her thoughts, Hinata looks up from her cooling cup of cocoa at her boyfriend. Although they were out in public he had dressed and looked the way he always did at her little house. Despite his observation he wasn't actually looking at her. His chin was resting in his hand as he looked out the window at something that obviously had a good portion of his attention.

Realizing that a few tears had fallen she hastily wipes at her face before sending him an apologetic look "I'm sorry. It's just…a family matter, I suppose."

Green eyes drifted over to her for a moment before looking back outside the window "Would you like to talk about it?" he offered "I haven't asked because it's not my business, but it is a little disheartening to watch your girlfriend look miserable for months on end."

Hinata's face turned a dark shade of red and she looked a mixture between sad and worried "I…I'm so sorry. I've been…I've been being…"

"I'm not upset," he clarified "but I have been worried. You are much prettier with a smile on your face."

Curious as to what he was looking at so intensely she turned her head in that direction but saw nothing out of the ordinary. When she turned back to him he was facing her and she actually almost jumped in surprise. He gave her a small smile and reached out to take her hand.

"It's um…my brother." She said after a few minutes, watching as his thumb lightly grazed over her wrist in a soothing motion "I think I've done something to really make him mad at me. He just…stopped talking to me." She let out a shaky smile "He doesn't answer when I call and he doesn't respond to any of my e-mails or letters. He's someone very special to me so it's been hard because I don't know what I've done so I can't fix it."

His hand squeezed hers gently "What's his name?"

"I call him Itachi-niisan but his full name is Uchiha Itachi."

The rubbing motions stopped. When she looked up at him he looked a mixture between confused and thoughtful "You are not an Uchiha." He observed, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh!" with her free hand she made a little waving motion "I-I'm sorry I mean…we grew up together s-so he's practically like a brother to me." She had missed the confident tone in her boyfriend's voice towards a person he technically should not know.

Gaara looked out the window again "A brother…you say?" it said almost absentmindedly "Are you sure he's not the one you told me about when I first asked you if you had a boyfriend?"

She stiffened, drawing his attention back to her. Frowning, she looked down at her lukewarm cocoa "Y-yes…" she admitted "I guess you c-could say I had one of those c-childhood crushes on him."

"You had said you were in love with him, at the time."

Something clicked in her mind and she frowned a little at him "I'm not…I mean I'm with you Gaara, I don't…I mean yes, he's my first love, I guess, but…I'm his 'little sister' and I'm happy with that. W-well…I was…" she bit her lip "He's upset with me."

"You really think so?" once again he had asked that while looking out the window, making her a little nervous. Was he upset with her for still having feelings for Itachi? Maybe she would try later on to tell him or show him that he was the one she wanted to be with.

"W-well…" she began "I mean he just stopped talking to me so abruptly…he must be upset about something."

Her boyfriend tilted his head slightly at her "Hm. What was the last thing you talked to him about before he went silent?"

Frowning, Hinata tried to think "Um…it was around the time of that festival…I asked him about Mama-chan because I had heard that she was a little under the weather. I told him he shouldn't work so hard because Mama-chan had told me that he was working overtime a lot. Oh! I told him about how I had found Tenten-chan's secret stash of weapons…" at this he shared a smile with her "and um…Oh. I told him about us. I know it was like, five months after we had started dating but my brothers can be overprotective so I had wanted to wait a little while."

"There was nothing else?"

There was something about his gaze that worried her. It wasn't detached, just…different. "Um…no that was pretty much it. It was a really long e-mail, I think."

"I see. We should get going." Without waiting for her he pulled out his wallet and placed some bills on the table. Had he not held out his hand for her and smiled slightly she almost would have thought he was upset.

Coats on, she walked out of the café with him, sliding on her thick mittens. She shivered but he took her gloved hand in his and they started walking. Despite the bitter chill it still looked nice although she really had to admit to herself that she missed the sights and streets of Japan. It also wasn't as cold there, which was a great bonus.

"Childhood friendships," her boyfriend suddenly began "form almost unbreakable bonds. No matter what, you have shared more, done more, and experienced more together than you would with any other outsider you meet in the future."

Confusion graced her features as she looked up at him. His face looked impassive; she couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. He didn't sound upset or angry, but she had never seen him upset or angry either, so how would she know?

"Gaara," she began, squeezing his hand "If this is about Ita –"

Her sentence was cut off as her boyfriend pressed her against him, an arm wrapping around her waist. Before she could let out a sound his lips slid over hers, hard and passionate. The scene was highly embarrassing, kissing like this out in public? If she were back home she probably would have fainted from the embarrassment.

Except…he was an amazing kisser, so much that she eventually stopped caring about who could be watching or disapproving. Wrapping her arms around his neck she returned his kiss with equal passion and intensity.

When they parted, breathless, Gaara spoke again "Hinata," he whispered against her lips "I'm breaking up with you."

She jerked away from him as if he had just slapped her. Something hard fell towards her stomach and her chest began to hurt. Unshed tears burned hotly at the back of her eyes "W…why?" she asked. Why was he doing this? Didn't he know how much she cared for him? How much she really wanted to be with him? "I-I…I don't…I don't understand…"

His face was impassive but his eyes were a little sad. Gloved fingers brushed along her cheek as she looked up at him, her gaze imploring.

"I don't love you." He said simply.

_That_ was why? "B-but we've only been d-dating for nine m-months s-so I mean…it's n-not a big deal to me…"

Mixed feelings filled her when he pulled her back into his arms, embracing her. She could feel his lips at her crown.

"I really like you," he said "and these past few months have been…the best of my life, I think."

"T-then why..?" she whispered, heartbroken.

"I've really liked being with you," he continued "you are intelligent, kind, gentle, and I can feel relaxed around you. I'll always care for you, and I will treasure the time we had together." When her response was the slight shaking of her shoulders he tightened his hold "This would have happened eventually," he explained "I will return to America, you'll go back to Japan. Long distance relationships…especially in this case, don't work."

He let her go then, keeping his hands at her arms. Her gaze was focused on the ground and she was indeed crying "I don't…I don't understand…" then her head snapped up "Gaara, please don't do this because I had feelings for Itachi-niisan. I told you that I'm just his little sister, and anyway, you're the one I want to be with!" her hands clutched at his jacket awkwardly since she was still wearing her mittens "You really don't have to worry about that…so please…"

The grip on her arms tightened and he gave her a wry smile "Hinata, I don't love you." He repeated "I like you, I like you a _lot_. You were my fir…" he paused, slightly embarrassed "I like you, but I don't love you, so we have to part ways now."

The girl shook her head "Is it really just that?" she asked, her voice watery "Or is it really because of…"

"The Uchiha?" he frowned thoughtfully "Yes and no." she looked confused but he wasn't going to elaborate. "I really am sorry, Hinata." He said sincerely "This isn't because there is something wrong with you or that I'm upset or jealous. It's just…time….I think." Framing her face in his hands he kissed her forehead and wiped at her tears "I hope one day, when you can forgive me for this, we can be friends. Goodbye, Hinata."

He left her then, his hands in his pockets as he walked away. He did not look back. Hinata put her face in her hands and wept, uncaring of who was watching.

What Hinata did not know was that Sabaku Gaara knew the Uchiha brothers, although not on any real personal level. He had been forced to meet Itachi once when they were both younger, fathers trying to put two child geniuses together, assuming they would get along. They had spoken perhaps two words to each other that entire night. Had she not been so distraught she might have caught it in his tone.

He truly did like Hinata; that had been the honest truth. But Gaara wasn't in love with her, not even in the slightest, and it was very apparent that Uchiha Itachi _was_. The redhead had never known Itachi to be anything but cool, even cold, like him. Cutting off ties with the girl you grew up with because she told you she had a boyfriend? That meant something. Something emotional.

The fact that the Uchiha had been standing off in the distance watching them in the café had also been a pretty good indicator. It had been an accident, the man had been walking, turned, and had seen them together. For a long while he had simply stood there and then just as easily as he had stopped he walked away, his face shifting to a blank mask.

He could put two and two together. After a four month silence, there could be only one real reason he would have come all the way to England. Hinata loved him as well and Gaara really didn't want to get in the way of that in some sort of complicated love triangle when he was about to leave anyway. He could have loved her, given time…lots of time – there were things about him that Hinata would never even believe to be true – but this early in the game, it was just better to cut one's losses and enjoy the time you had with the person.

The redhead had a feeling that the white-eyed girl would always be someone he would care about; besides the kissing she had been his first regarding everything else. One didn't really forget things like that. Hopefully, once things calmed down, she would at least come around to be his friend. She really was an easy person to talk to and he didn't have many people like that in his somewhat depraved life. Siblings didn't always count.

However, if the Uchiha royally screwed up his chance with the girl he loved, then the redhead might change his mind about a few things. But he doubted it would happen; the man was a genius after all. He'd figure it out.

xxxxx

He had been here for three days, two of them he had spent completely in his hotel room. To be perfectly honest, he was actually pretty disappointed in himself. No Uchiha should act _this_ pathetic just because everything that makes them function as a human being is completely and utterly useless. Never had he realized how much he had depended on total structure in his life until he had been faced with a situation like this.

So now, Itachi was aware that he was obsessive compulsive and somewhat narcissistic. He had also come to the conclusion by day two that he was also a _coward_ when it came to being put in situations where he could not predict the outcome or how to guide the situation to an outcome he could handle.

Day three he had had enough of his own nonsense and had decided to go out and become re-familiar with the streets. He had been to London once as a boy but it hadn't been to too many places. Many streets he had memorized had completely changed, making him mentally take note of it just in case. After about a good hour he had pretty much figured out how to navigate the surrounding area of the major university there.

Not that he was worried about getting lost or not being able to find Hinata. He had the address and had seen a picture, which was more than enough for him. Most of it was him stalling, still trying to reason out a predictable solution. He was a bit stubborn when it came to certain things, figuring out a difficult 'problem' was one of them. A bit of it was him also trying to get his emotions under control. It was so difficult for him to think straight now that everything was out in the open. He still felt mixed about being with her, should it actually happen, since he had been 'in denial' for seven years. It seemed that it would feel rather awkward to suddenly give in to one's desires under the circumstances.

Except, truth be told, he had no idea what he would do or say once he actually saw her. When one was detached from the situation it was easier to predict how you will feel as you progress in your plan. When one was heavily emotional, anything and everything could happen; it was very unpredictable. The last thing he wanted to do was make a fool of himself because of something like this.

While he had been lost in his thoughts his gaze had shifted over to the opposite side of the street. Then he paused. There, in a rather fancy French café, sat his long time friend and her boyfriend. Now that he could see the face he instantly remembered the boy. He had been around twelve, the Sabaku boy seven. They had both been dragged along and both were considered 'child geniuses'. So their fathers, in all of their infinite wisdom, figured that since they were both 'really smart' they'd be able to get along, right?

He remembered the exchange. Itachi had stared at the boy, the boy at him. They both mumbled out a 'Good evening', sat in the chairs their fathers had told them to and said nothing else. Itachi had been rather annoyed by his father's ability to be completely dense and insensitive, so he had actually made it a point not to talk to the boy, retreating within his own mind. Had they had been left to their own devices; they probably would have talked a bit more and perhaps even gotten along. Having been forced, the boys instead did the exact opposite of what their fathers had wanted.

Then the redhead turned to him and their gazes locked. With his excellent eyesight he could tell the other male remembered him. Nothing outstanding or breathtaking happened during the time the two had merely stared at one another and eventually Itachi turned and left, continuing on his walk.

Yes, it was definitely difficult to see Hinata with another man. He did not like that feeling. Feeling like that would only make things worse when the confrontation came. He would need to have a level head, so he could decide on what he wanted to say and how. He had already decided that more than likely he would not tell her of his feelings. It was quite obvious that she was happy with the person she was with. It was as Sasuke said, his own fault for letting things get to that point. He had lost his chance, he was fine with that. At least, right now that he was thinking logically he was. What he really wanted was for Hinata not to believe that she was hated, and to, at the very least, reestablish their friendly bond. He had been rather unfair to her these past few years; he would try harder not to let that happen again.

So. Two days later, Itachi was wondering why in the hell was he still in his room. It was as if his body were betraying him now, refusing to move and do what his brain was trying to tell it to. His only consolation was that he was the only one here to witness how much he was epically failing. He had been here almost a week and had not yet seen Hinata. The older sibling was beginning to feel ashamed to call himself an Uchiha. Surely no man could ever sink to this level of cowardice. If Sasuke were here…well it was just better that he wasn't.

After this, he swore to himself by midday, he refused to behave in this sort of ridiculous manner ever again. While he was sure the phrase 'love makes one do crazy things' was true, he was absolutely certain this level of pathetic and sad was not what it had been referring to.

By two pm he had become so fed up with himself that he actually showered, dressed, and forced himself to go outside and simply walk. Since he did not care where Itachi slid his focus to his thoughts and allowed his body to go wherever it wanted. He had two more weeks in which to settle everything, although he wasn't planning on being here any longer than middle of next week. By then he was sure there would be nothing worth hanging around for. Hinata would be with her boyfriend and he would have his 'little sister' back. Perhaps if he evaded his father's cronies once he got back to Japan he could sneak into his own apartment – an absurd and annoying concept – and simply relax for the rest of his vacation.

Then he found himself stopping and inwardly he frowned. He hadn't meant to stop so why…?

Bending his head down he chuckled darkly "Of course." He murmured as he stood on the sidewalk outside the house Hinata was staying in.

This was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous. Since he was already here, he put his hands in his coat pockets – with much better poise and grace than his little brother he would add – walked up the small steps to a rather old-looking baby blue house. He pressed the button that was supposed to be the doorbell and found that it was broken. Raising an eyebrow at this, he knocks on the door.

On the second set of knocks he heard several latches and locks being turned and he blinked. Was it really so dangerous to where they need six locks? If so, he would seriously contemplate moving Hinata to a nicer set of apartments and pay for the remainder of her stay. Not that Hinata couldn't handle herself, she was a black belt in karate and in her family's style of martial arts but still....

The door opened to reveal…well not what he had been expecting.

It was definitely Hinata, but her eyes were puffy, her and nose red, and it was very obvious that she had not been sleeping well for the past few days. She had looked fine the other day, surely she wasn't crying over their communication situation?

The door closed in his face after she had mumbled something rather unintelligible and he actually had a strange urge to laugh. The situation really wasn't funny if something was wrong with Hinata, but having the door closed in on his face while he was sure she hadn't even recognized him was amusing. He definitely wouldn't let her live it down for a few weeks at _least_.

Looking idly at his watch he waited for a good thirty seconds and then the door wrenched open, white eyes wide with shock. She looked up at him as if he were a ghost and he really began to wonder if something serious had happened to her.

"Are you always this kind to visitors?" he asked smoothly, smiling slightly "You haven't been gone that long to have forgotten my face already have you?"

He almost fell backwards when Hinata suddenly slammed herself against his chest, her arms wrapping around his middle. It wasn't loud but he heard it then, slight sniffling. Frowning, he pulled her at arms length, his hands on her shoulders. She was wiping at her face with the sleeves of her sweater and he honestly couldn't tell if she was crying because she was happy or crying because she was upset.

Then he poked her on the forehead.

It had surprised him just as much as it had surprised her, for her hands flew to the spot and she looked dumbstruck. He recovered his wits before her and tilted his head.

"Stop crying." It was a gentle command, one that he used to give her when they had been children. Sasuke would always look confused and flustered whenever Hinata had cried about something, so early on it had been left up to him. Of course, at ten years old he was also rather awkward around girls so he had did to her what he had always done to Sasuke. For some absurd reason, it had never failed to make her smile.

And she did smile, a somewhat lopsided watery smile but a smile nonetheless. He hadn't done anything like that to her in years, but he could tell she remembered what it had meant.

"By the way," he said "I'm not upset with you. Whatever would give you the reason that I could ever do something as absurd as that, Hina?" he was amazed at the ease of him slipping back to his old habits before he had forced himself to be estranged with her.

Instead of answering she merely shook her head and moved forward, resting her forehead on his chest. He placed a hand on her back and arm and they stood there like that for some time. Once he had felt a suitable amount of time had passed for this rather emotional reunion, he cleared his throat. Loudly.

"Hina, it's rather cold outside. Either you come with me or I go in with you, whichever you prefer."

Jerking back, she looked at him in surprise once more before her face began to turn a darker shade of red at her outbursts. She was about to motion for him to come in but then stopped, dipping her head.

"Um, actually," she said very softly "Can I just…go with you Itachi-niisan?"

That confirmed that whatever it was she was upset about, it had nothing to do with him. He gave her a silent nod and he saw her rush into the first room of the house and come back out seconds later putting on a rather thick coat. He smiled to himself, Hinata was a winter child yet she didn't really like the cold. Oh, she liked snow, from inside her home where the heaters were blazing.

He wasn't entirely sure of where he wanted to go, but when she fell into step beside him and he glanced at her sorrowful expression, he took her mitten-covered hand in his. When she looked up at him with those sad eyes he felt a mixture of irritation and guilt. Irritation towards whatever it was that was making her upset and guilt because not too long ago she had been looking like that over him.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked her.

"W-why are you here Itachi-niisan?" came the soft question and they both paused. Her bangs were hiding her eyes so he couldn't see her expression.

"Do you want me to leave?"

Those eyes looked back up at him then and she looked as if her entire world had simply dropped from her feet. Slowly, she shook her head.

"B-but, why?" she insisted her gaze pleading. It seemed as if she wanted him to say something specific, but he had no idea what.

"I am standing here, in the cold, in a foreign country holding my childhood friend's hand. Do you think I'd be here for something else besides seeing you?"

He wondered if she noticed he didn't call her 'little sister'. Her eyes had lowered before he had been able to get a good look at her reaction.

"It's just…" he almost hadn't caught her murmuring.

"It's what?" she was acting very strangely. Perhaps he had been wrong in assuming that it had nothing to do with him?

"It's just that…Gaara broke up with me two days ago." She announced and he could not help the brief flicker of shock that crossed his face.

"Why?"

Delicate brows furrowed and he could see her looking at his face for a sign of something, anything. What he couldn't possibly fathom.

"He…broke up with me…because of you."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Two chapters left. I'm getting the itch to write more ItaHina so I dunno, I might work on expanding on Ruby Slide (it would probably be set up as its own story or whatever I have no idea) because…well…ItaHina is sexy. And I _really_ like writing Itachi. I've written him in a few different fics with slightly different personalities and I've enjoyed doing each one (I loved writing him in _The Ties That Bind Us_ because he's all hush hush about his vanity)

Okay, so there is ItaHina in this chapter and a bit of Itachi joking around (My attempts at making him light hearted) and Awkward Mom Moments. Mikoto was fun to write in this story too, now that I think about it. Anyways enjoy!

xxxxx

**5**

xxxxx

Glancing at the girl sitting across from him, Itachi tried to go through his mind reasons why he had been the cause of her break up with the Sabaku boy. They were in his room sitting at the 'dinner table' provided – it was really just a small round table and two chairs, laughable when one grew up with nothing but the best. Hinata held a cup of tea in her hands, not looking at him. In front of him on the table was a cup of coffee that he had every intention of dousing in an absurd amount of cream and sugar – it had become a habit because it had annoyed Sasuke so much – but first he wanted some answers.

"Now," he began "Considering that you did not tell me about your relationship with your ex –" she winced at that "until you were already five months into the relationship and we had…ceased contact for this past four, I am quite confused as to how I am the direct cause of your breakup."

Guilt crossed her features and she looked up at him apologetically "I…I shouldn't have said that. It's not…I don't really think it's your fault directly…"

"So it's indirectly?" he cut in, slightly confused.

"Yes." She admitted but then frowned at her words "No…maybe. When I asked him he said it was 'Yes and No'."

This wasn't working. "This is a little confusing with just bits and pieces," he told her "could you start from the beginning?"

"I'm sorry." Taking a sip of her tea she shook her head "I'm not upset with _you_ or anything…I just…"

"Hinata. Explain."

She sighed "Two days ago I was with Gaara on a small date at this café we had wanted to go to before in passing," she began "He commented on the fact that I had been sad and I explained to him that it was that I didn't know if you were angry with me or not because you had stopped talking to me. He…he kept asking me questions and it had felt strange at the time so…"

"Continue." He told her, although he already had a pretty good idea as to what happened. Why he had done it, Itachi had no clue.

"He asked me what was the last thing I sent you before we broke off contact. I told him about the e-mail and he started acting even stranger."

Gaara was a genius, Itachi was well aware of this. He had not received quite as much attention as the Uchiha, but he was not stupid. The Uchiha knew what e-mail she was talking about. Gaara had seen his lack of communication to Hinata, the contents of the e-mail, and his appearance outside the café and easily put it all together. He had known Itachi was there for Hinata.

But why break up with her over it? He already had her; surely he didn't think at that point that he was competition? Hinata had clearly cared for the boy; she was loyal and wouldn't have dumped her current boyfriend just because he was here. It didn't make sense. "What happened next?"

"W-well he said that…childhood friends form unbreakable bonds…that…in comparison to an outsider, they would…I guess have a connection that the other would never be able to compete with. I think."

So, it was as he suspected. It still didn't explain _why_ he broke up with Hinata. So what if some other guy liked his girlfriend? That didn't mean anything would happen and for some reason Itachi had the feeling that it had been a calculated move, not one done out of jealousy or anger.

"He told me that…he didn't love me. I tried to tell him that it was okay…I mean…you can't really expect to fall in love in nine months but…he still wouldn't…"

Half of him had stopped listening after 'he didn't love me'. It still…didn't make sense. Obviously Gaara had given up because he had decided that he didn't want to be in the running anymore, but why over him? There was a piece missing. Something else had made Gaara decide that it wasn't worth it to continue the relationship.

Could it have been because… "Hinata," he gave her a soft look "when you talked about how we were not communicating, how did you describe our prior relationship?"

"What?" the girl frowned at him in confusion "I told him that we had grown up together, and that you saw me as your little sister. And I…" suddenly all of the color drained from Hinata's face "But that doesn't make any sense," she began to mutter half to herself "I told him that you only saw me as a little sister so…"

And the last piece of the puzzle clicked in. Hinata had told Gaara that she had held feelings for her 'big brother', that was why he ended the relationship. He didn't want to be involved if both parties still had feelings for each other. Basically, Gaara had decided to give Hinata up to him, because he didn't love her…but her 'big brother' did.

"Hinata," he made sure that he had her attention. "There's –"

"I don't understand why it mattered if he said he wasn't jealous!" Hinata suddenly exclaimed, looking highly distraught "How could he just…leave…like that? After everything…" she began to cry again, burying her face in her hands. "I really was falling for him. I don't understand…it doesn't make any sense…I know he said he didn't love me but…does that mean that he…I mean to end it just like that when we've…"

Instead of trying to speak again he instead withdrew a bit mentally. Had they been lovers? Well, she was a fully grown adult and it wasn't as if he was a blushing virgin himself but…it bothered him. It bothered him for so many different reasons there was no way to pinpoint them all.

Sabaku shouldn't have given her up; it was obvious Hinata had moved on and had fallen in love with him.

_Ah, but he doesn't love her._ He reminded himself. While the Uchiha understood the logic in Gaara's actions, it still didn't mean the end results didn't hurt anyone.

Then he found himself smiling inwardly at the irony. It appeared Gaara and Itachi both lived very structured lives. Once an undesirable situation emerged, they would do what logically needed to be done to fix it. In this case, it was breaking up with Hinata. It was a little frustrating, because it meant that Gaara really hadn't thought the relationship was worth it; that Hinata hadn't been worth pursuing. Once again, he grimly reminded himself that Gaara didn't love Hinata, which really was the catalyst. Had he cared enough, things would have been different. Instead he had given up to the guy who held more feelings for her. Itachi wasn't sure if that was admirable or really messed up.

Briefly, he wondered if this was how his prior girlfriends had felt when their relationship had ended and Itachi hadn't truly cared. It had been fun, it had even been intriguing, but it hadn't been enough for him to _want_ to keep his attention whenever something complicated had come up.

_I wonder if he'll eventually find that person that's worth uprooting his life and moving out of his comfort zone._

Should he try to explain it to her? It wouldn't hurt…he hoped.

"Hinata," he began "Around the time I turned twenty I began seriously dating other women." Seeing that he had her attention, he continued "None of them had lasted for very long but all of them had initially really cared for me. A month would go by and then we would split up. It was usually for various reasons, being intimidated by my background, my personality in general. I had liked every single one of those girls, I wouldn't have dated them otherwise…but I never loved them. The moment a snag in the relationship developed I dropped it without looking back. To me, it was the logical thing to do; if something undesirable comes up, you get rid of the cause and continue on. I never really thought about how I must have appeared to them, simply giving up on the slightest thing that popped up."

She began wiping at her eyes, "But you said you liked them so…?"

"Yes, but I did not like them enough to pursue any complications that would arise from the relationship. To me, it was an unnecessary hassle, why put yourself through the stress when you can simply back away and move on?"

Wrapping her arms around her she shivered, although it wasn't cold "That sounds…so horrible to me." She admitted "It's so…it seems so cruel."

"Yes," he said softly "It does. But there is a deeper reason for why I did what I did."

White eyes flickered up at him "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't so much the fact that the relationship had hit a snag and I did not want to deal with it, it was the fact that it would have disrupted my world of complete structure and order. If you become more involved, it becomes more difficult to react logically, meaning that it becomes more difficult to predict, organize, and plan actions in accordance to those scenarios. Acting on emotions means that anything can happen and it is outside your realm of control. For someone like me, it is an extremely disturbing prospect. I suppose you can say it's a form of obsessive compulsiveness, wanting to be able to organize and control any scenario so that it is favorable to you in the end."

Hinata frowned thoughtfully, understanding what he was trying to say "S-so you're saying that…Gaara broke up with me because I was a threat to his way of thinking?"

He tried not to sigh. It really did make them sound like bastards when said out loud. "That's a good way to summarize it, yes."

"But then, if you think like that, you'll never be able to be in a relationship with anyone!" Hinata shook her head as if in doing so it would change their mindset "What happens when you finally fall in love?"

"You stop thinking logically." He answered simply. "You decide that the person is worth the discomfort because wanting to be with them is more important. You force yourself to adapt."

Her smile was bitter sweet "So I guess…because he didn't love me it wasn't…worth it."

"It's his loss Hina, not yours." He smiled thinly when she gave him a surprised look "I am only sorry that I was the reason. Even inadvertently, I would never want to hurt you."

They looked at each other for a moment until Hinata lowered her head "No, it…I'm sorry for saying that. It wasn't your fault at all. If not that, it would have been something else eventually…right? So…"

She began to wipe at her face again before turning away from him "I'm sorry." She sniffed "You came all this way and I'm here…"

Getting up, he grabbed the box of tissues that came with the room and handed it to her. She accepted it with a small 'thank you' before blowing her nose rather loudly, making him smirk slightly. Well, he supposed that was what happened when you were _that_ familiar with someone, you didn't care what they saw, even if it wasn't pretty or graceful.

"Well, my silence hasn't exactly helped you any, for that I'm sorry." He said sincerely "Sasuke told me how upset you had been over it. I was wrong for doing what I did."

Her small hands wrapped around her tea cup again but he couldn't read her expression "Why did you stop talking to me?"

Standing up, he gave her a blank stare "That's not an answer you need to deal with right now." He said flatly "You are almost done with your studies and you're already stressed from your break up."

Confusion danced in her eyes "But you said…you weren't angry at me so…why does it sound like it's a bad thing?"

He continued to remain impassive "I wasn't angry with you." She opened her mouth but he cut her off "Hinata. It is not an answer you need to hear right now. Just know that I wasn't angry and you had done nothing wrong."

When he had turned to go into the other room he had taken three steps before a small hand grabbed the back of his shirt in a surprisingly tight grip. They stood like that in silence and he waited for her to speak up first.

"What happened between Gaara and I…" she began softly "it does hurt. I am sad and really upset at his reasons. But that…that's _nothing_ in comparison to how I've been feeling these past four months." He heard her take a soft breath "You just…you just stopped having anything to do with me, can you imagine how that made me feel?"

He didn't respond, because anything he said would come out hollow in comparison. Instead he continued to stand, not turning to face her.

"All this time I thought that I had done something wrong, that you were angry with me. I was so hurt and confused…and n-now you're saying that you weren't mad a-and that I hadn't d-done anything…I think…" if possible her grip tightened even more "I think I deserve an explanation, Itachi."

It was his own fault for forgetting how stubborn she could be about things very important to her. He felt very uncomfortable because he didn't know what he should do or say and he had no idea how she would react if he told her the truth. He didn't want to hurt her, yet there didn't seem to be a 'right' solution to his problem. Itachi hated it, he hated how there were too many unknowns, too many things that he couldn't determine. He wanted control, he wanted to be able to confidently tell Hinata what she needed to hear so that he didn't hurt her. The Uchiha couldn't lie to her, Hyuuga had this inner ability that made them finely tuned bullshit detectors and considering that she had known him more than half of his life…

So he blocked out his over analyzing mind and just decided to let whatever happen, happen. Turning, he faced her, taking in her appearance. Although there was sadness and pain in her expression, it did nothing to detract from her beauty. When she had looked like that during their childhood, Itachi would pull both her and Sasuke up near him and all three of them would huddle together until they all fell asleep. Of course, she had been a child so whatever it was she had been worried about had been forgotten by the time she opened her eyes again.

But they weren't children anymore.

Gently, his large hands framed her face, his gaze carefully blank as he looked down at her. For a moment he hesitated. How would she react? What would happen between them? Would this destroy their relationship altogether? He didn't know, wouldn't know until he acted. A part of his mind, the so-called 'logical' one, was insisting that this scenario was simply too undesirable and that he should just cut his losses. That side was telling him how many other females he could possibly encounter mathematically and the chances of him feeling the same way as he did for Hinata. After a moment he pushed those thoughts aside. Was it really logic speaking or was it fear? The line seemed to blur between the two.

"The reason I stopped speaking to you," he began, letting his over-active mind go silent once more. He closed the distance between them and he could feel her slightly pressed against him. A hot feeling moved through him and he had to push away the urge to clamp down on it as he normally would have. Pushing her away would solve nothing. Before he realized it his lips were inches away from hers. He heard the small intake of breath, the small shudder that went through her. He tilted his head "I stopped speaking to you," he repeated "because you told me you had a boyfriend."

And then he kissed her.

xxxxx

"_I stopped speaking to you because you told me you had a boyfriend."_

So many questions and emotions went through her mind from that confession. This was the first time she had ever seen him like…this. Although his face had looked blank, there had been no mistaking the emotions he felt through his eyes as he forced their gazes to lock.

Then she felt warm lips slide over her own, her eyes widening in complete shock. Growing up she had imagined this scenario so many times, albeit under different circumstances. Silly little daydreams and fantasies that she had never thought would happen. This was no daydream or fantasy, the man she loved since she was thirteen truly was kissing her. The shock of this revelation sent her mind into lockdown.

He parted from her briefly before kissing her again, his lips firmer along hers. Still stunned, her body began to react automatically, her hands sliding up and around his neck as she began to return his kiss. Strong arms came around her and quickly their gentle kisses turned into passionate ones, one hand sliding up her back to move through her hair.

Hinata made a soft noise and then she felt his mouth part. A low noise came from him when his tongue delved into her mouth, exploring. His grip on her was so tight it was bordering on discomfort. His kisses became hotter and heavier and she found herself surprised. It felt like now that he had started kissing her he couldn't stop. It was as if he was kissing her for the first time in years and was making up for lost time. It was little effort to free his hair from its ponytail and she felt a small tremor move through him when her hands moved through the silky strands. He had amazingly soft hair; maybe he used the same conditioner as her cousin?

They were breathless when they parted, Itachi's forehead pressed against hers. It seemed as if he was struggling through something internally, his hands were slightly shaky as he held her. Then he slowly moved away from her, backing up a few steps. He actually _looked_ flushed although he had already calmed his breathing. The look he was giving her was one she couldn't identify. Considering how long they have known each other, that was saying a lot.

"I…" she was first to break the silence "I don't understand."

He gave her a look that clearly showed he didn't believe her. "You are not stupid, Hina." He said low, his dark gaze still on her face.

Now that her brain was functioning again she was scrambling to make some sort of sense out of what just happened. She currently had two absolute facts. One, he had stopped talking to her because obviously he had been jealous over the fact that she had been dating. Two, he obviously had feelings for her that went beyond familial friendship. Waaay beyond friendship if that kiss had meant anything.

"Why would you be jealous?" she asked, understanding that it was a rather unintelligent question yet it had been the first thing to come to mind.

He didn't respond and it didn't take her long to realize that he wasn't going to answer her question at all. Itachi had given her an explanation, he had been jealous, and that was all she was probably going to get from him until he felt like addressing it further. Hinata was so confused, what was going on? How could he have feelings for her when he had never once shown an interest? He wasn't shallow enough to have started liking her just because she had gotten a boyfriend.

"I'm flying back tomorrow." He announced and she just stared at him.

"But…you just…got here…" too many confusing things at once. Why had he even come here if he was just going to leave after the first day? Didn't he want to spend time with her?

"I've been here for a week now," her eyes widened a bit at this information "I had been stalling on coming to see you." His eyes narrowed "I can't stay here."

Too fast. Everything was happening too fast all at once "Itachi –"

"When you return," he promised "I will address any question you have. I came here to set things straight between us due to my…foolishness. Staying will only make things worse."

_He's backing away because he knows that this is too much for me to deal with all at once._ She thought, remembering his earlier words. She had three months left, time that she could sit and think with a level head about what was going on. Right now she felt a little numb about her situation with Gaara, this heart stopping revelation was on a much wider scale than her ex boyfriend. Unfortunately, it was such a huge deal that she couldn't even register it properly. It would take time.

Slowly she nodded, showing that she understood.

"It's a little late now, so if you'd like, you can sleep on the bed." He offered "I've personally found it to be a tad too soft, so I've been utilizing the couch instead."

Hinata nodded again because it seemed to be all she could manage without feeling spastic. "A-alright um…goodnight then."

"Sleep well, Hina."

xxxxx

Gently setting down his cup of coffee, Itachi looked over at his mother on the other side of the booth and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose despite the headache that was beginning to expand throughout his head. He should have known better, he should have told Sasuke and let _him_ deal with telling their mother what had happened. The angry phone call he would get afterwards from his little brother would have been well worth it.

He didn't like people delving deeply into his personal life, his mother was no exception. He did confide in her often and he did value her opinion, but then she'd go into 'Mother Mode' and become extremely embarrassing and awkward to be around. This was one of those times.

She was already asking about grandchildren.

"Mother," he began calmly "It is a little premature to assume anything at the moment…" why was he talking to her about this? He hated being verbal about things so personal to him "I wasn't about to take advantage of her." _And if I had stayed I would have, I realized that the moment I kissed her._

"Do you think you two would have twins?" Mikoto asked, completely ignoring what her son had just said to her.

His mother was doing this on purpose, but he couldn't exactly call her out on it either. She was in a small way getting back at him for the situation with Hinata. He couldn't remember a time when his mother had ever _not_ taken her side on something. Mikoto had tried to spoil Hinata since she had no girls of her own.

"I am not aware of many Hyuuga having twins although her father and uncle are." He responded and took a sip of his now light brown coffee. If Sasuke were around, he would have looked at his coffee in disgust. For his little brother, it was black or none at all. "There is also the fact that Hinata and I are _not_ together and that it could very well not happen in the foreseeable future."

With a snort his mother waved him off before taking a bite of her cheesecake "Nonsense." Came the admonishment "Hinata has been in love with you since she was a little girl. I say you should just go ahead and talk to Sasu about doing a double wedding."

"A what?" his question had came out rather ineloquently before he could stop it "No...mother, I'm not marrying Hinata." Was his mother insane? He couldn't just randomly ask her to marry him like that, especially when he didn't want to do something like that in the first place.

"Why not?" she asked bluntly "It's not as if you wouldn't know what to expect, you two know each other better than anyone else. You've already been a part of her life for the past seventeen years. You know all of her habits, her likes and dislikes, you'll know what living with her will be like -"

"She was fifteen when she went back home, mother. That was seven years ago." Wait, _why_ was he having this conversation with her? Why was he indulging her? "I'm sure her habits might have changed slightly since then."

"Hinata-chan?" his mother looked doubtful "She was always very neat and tidy, unlike my two boys." She said with a playful glare.

Smirking, he took a drink of coffee "I'd prefer it if you called it 'organized chaos'. I always know where to find anything I am looking for, thusly, I am very organized and tidy. Besides, it's only the desk in my study, I keep my apartment clean. My mind is organized, beyond that it's debatable."

Mikoto blinked at him in confusion "I thought you hired people to clean your apartment."

"Details." He murmured, smiling slightly. "I'm a busy man, after all."

His mother laughed and he smiled warmly at her, feeling relaxed. It wasn't often that he acted so light-hearted and he missed the days when he had been able to have those few moments of freedom as a child, when he had laughed all the time and didn't have to be anyone but himself. Not Itachi the genius, not Itachi the heir of the Uchiha corporation, just Itachi.

Still smiling, she looked at her son "What do you plan on doing when she comes back?"

_Well, I had hoped to get her off the topic…_ Inwardly he sighed "I don't know." He answered honestly "To be honest, probably nothing. I've made my interest in her quite clear, it's up to her if she wants to accept it. I won't force her and I'll still wish to be her friend if that's what she wants in the end."

"Have you heard from her?"

"No, but I don't expect to. She won't approach me until she knows exactly what she wants to do. To that extent, I will not be greeting her at the airport when she arrives in a few months." He held up a hand when she began to protest "It needs to be her choice, mother, on her terms. I'm only telling you this so that when she arrives she doesn't think I'm upset with her. I hope you'll be able to pass the message on."

After a long moment his mother sighed "Of course I will." She paused "All this waiting is going to drive me crazy though."

He took another sip of coffee "I can empathize." He said lightly and her eyes widened.

"Oh!" she waved a hand "I didn't mean it like that…"

"I was mostly teasing." He said softly, leaning back "To be honest, even if she did decide to be with me I have no idea what I'd do about it. I suppose when you've wanted something for so long that you find yourself at a loss when you acquire it."

Mikoto's smile was understanding "Are you trying to say you're nervous?"

"Possibly." This time he did sigh out loud "It's a difficult thing, dealing with such intense emotions. If nothing happened I would accept it, but I would also be very unhappy. I've been acting irrationally and lately I am at a complete loss concerning most decision-making processes. Things seemed much easier when I did not allow myself to become emotionally involved or attached."

Her smile was sad "But you were unhappy then as well, Itachi. I think the only time I ever see you happy or smile is when you're around Hinata-chan, Sasu, or myself and even then no one else can be around when you are. You put too much stress on yourself when you're always guarded and never relax. I think when you and Hinata-chan get together it'll be good for you to be able to go home and actually relax and allow yourself to drop all those walls you put up around people." She sighed "As a mother, it's hard watching your son grow and he's constantly unhappy or guarded. You want your children to be happy and content with life."

He did not bother to argue the fact that it was a rather large unknown concerning Hinata, but he also knew she was doing it for her sake more so than his. Instead he took in her words as he finished his coffee "You three were the constants in my life. You who was there for both of us and argued with Fugaku about allowing me more free time instead of having me immediately start working in the office simply because I had been intelligent enough to do so. You helped give me some semblance of childhood. Sasuke and Hinata…I had always seen myself as somewhat of a protector concerning those two. They wanted and needed me, but not in the ways Fugaku did. They loved and admired me unconditionally simply because I existed. Without the three of you, I would be a very different person. I do not think there would be anyone else who could bring me the sort of happiness you three have. I am 'happy' and 'content' with this. Please do not feel as if I am miserable; I may not be married and have children, but I am not unhappy with my life."

Mikoto nodded, smiling warmly. She actually looked a little more relaxed as well "I'm glad. I did always worry that I didn't do enough for you..."

"You did what you could, that is all a person can do. Every moment you gave me I cherished and while I had never expected more, I was grateful when it happened." He gently placed his hand over hers on the table "You are a wonderful mother, do not ever believe otherwise."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** You're kind of going to hate me at the end of this probably. In any case, there is ItaHina love in this one, a bit o' citrus, nothing too bad. I really loved writing Gaara in this fic, which only confirms the fact that I need to _stop putting him in Sasu/Hina Ita/Hina_ fics. *sigh* I will learn my lesson some day. Not today, probably not tomorrow, but some day.

Oh yeah, Ino/Sasu in this cracks me up. They're so goofy.

xxxxx

**6**

xxxxx

_Hinata,_

_By the time you read this you should be in Japan and I back in the States. You should have, by this point, already reached a decision concerning Uchiha Itachi. I'm writing this because you deserve a full explanation from me as to why I ended our relationship._

_It was not because you weren't worth it. You still have me added on your personal blog, by the way._

_When I first asked you if you were single you mentioned that you had loved someone for a long time but nothing had come of it because you believed he did not feel that way towards you. I am not sure if he told you this or not, but that day when we were at the café I saw him. It had been merely coincidence; Uchiha had been merely walking and spotted us. Our gazes locked. It was the reason why I was so distracted. He did not look at me long; his gaze shifted to you and stayed on you until he had walked away. I am not sure if even he realized it, but he had a look of longing, defeat, and sadness all at the same time. My mind went back to that day and I realized that you had been mistaken; the person you loved did return your feelings, just for whatever reason he had chosen to keep silent. His arrival in London showed that he no longer desired to remain a silent observer._

_Because you are you, had there been a confrontation between the three of us you would have chosen me. You are an extremely loyal person and we were very close, I believed that. However, you cannot love someone your entire life and not wonder 'What if?' when you end up with another. I ended our relationship not because I didn't wish to deal with the issue, I did it because you loved him and he loved you and those feelings have been there long before I came into your life. I did not wish to be the reason you were unable to be with the person you truly loved._

_It is strange, once you are with someone and then they are gone you begin to realize just how important they were to you. When I moved into the dorms I realized that perhaps I had not been truthful when I said I did not love you. Loving you would have not changed my decision, but I probably would have hesitated to react properly. I truly do hope that I was not incorrect in my suspicions with Uchiha, if so then I have perhaps made the largest mistake of my life and I'd feel like a fool. It is not often that I make mistakes so hopefully when I say that I wish the two of you the best it is accurate._

_This will sound incredibly selfish and cruel but there is a small part of me that hopes he is foolish enough to let you slip through his fingers. It is not a thought I am proud of._

_I do not want you to misunderstand, Uchiha's observations of me were not incorrect, you were simply a special case. I did feel deeply for you; you were the first woman I had ever been with, something I did not think possible for me considering my past. I was very happy with you and I will forever treasure those moments we shared. Perhaps, if you find yourself able to forgive me in the future, we could become friends. I would love to see you again, to spend time with you, be someone you can trust and confide in. I truly am sorry for hurting you, but if the end result is you happy with the one you've loved all these years, I will have no regrets._

_So yes, you were worth it, yes, I do love you and perhaps that was the reason I let you go. Take care, Hinata._

There was a sad smile on her face as she re-read the contents of the e-mail from Gaara. There were too many emotions for her to know exactly how she felt about the message, but she had an idea as she wiped away the tears and put a hand over her heart.

"Thank you," she whispered "and I'm sorry."

Her cell phone began to chime in Utada Hikaru's song 'Colors', indicating that Ino was calling her. Getting up from her chair she walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up her cell.

"Ino-chan?"

"Guess again, Nata-chan." A familiar deep voice came in.

Giggling, she leaned against the counter, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear "Sasu-kun, hello. Why are you calling me from Ino-chan's phone?"

"Because he took it from me Hinata-chan! He's –" Ino exclaimed in the background and Sasuke grunted.

"Don't listen to her." He sounded strained, as if he was fighting his fiancé off "She's a blonde, she doesn't know what she's talking about half the time."

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" Hinata could hear Ino, who sounded genuinely pissed now.

"Calm down woman." Her best friend grumbled "Nata-chan, I was wondering if – ow! What the hell Ino?" there was a pause and then some muttering from the blonde "Fine. Whatever. Nata-chan, _Ino and I_ were wondering if you could tag along to do some completely asinine things like taste cake – and yes I still do hate sweets - and look through thousands of invitation formats..." he paused "Then leave me at the house!" he protested "Do I _look_ like I want to do that kind of thing?"

A hand over her mouth, Hinata tried hard not to laugh too loudly "Um, should I let you two go?"

"No I –" more sounds of struggling "I called you –"

"No, _I_ called Hinata-chan and you took the phone from me!" she could hear Ino protest "You're so stingy with Hinata, learn to share!"

"Uchiha don't share." He said, amused. "Anyway Nata-chan, could you _please_ come so that I don't have to suffer through this alone? I'll let you have my share of the…cake." The word came out as if it were something disgusting.

She decided to tease a little bit "I don't know Sasu-kun…it sounds like a couple's only thing."

"Huh." There was a pause "Well, that's fine. I'll just tell Itachi about that one time when you decided to –"

"Okay!" face flaming, she glared at the phone although she knew he couldn't see it "You play dirty Uchiha Sasuke."

"It's the only way to play, Hyuuga Hinata. I'll call you with details later." A sigh "Here, let me give the phone to Ino before has an epileptic seizure."

"Why am I marrying you again?" Ino's voice came in clear on the phone. There was a low rumbling from Sasuke and she giggled "Oh yeah, that's a pretty good reason."

Considering it was those two, that could have meant anything and she was almost ninety-nine percent positive it was perverted.

"_Anyway,_" the blonde continued "I heard _everything_ about you and Tachi so…when are you going to go see him? It's already been three days." She growled "I am _not_ nosey, I'm curious!" she snapped at her fiancé "Just go over there and let me talk to Hinata-chan." She sighed "How did you _deal_ with these two for years on end?"

"Lots of patience." Hinata responded honestly. "And…as for Itachi I –" she paused and sighed a bit. She really didn't know. When she had arrived at the airport everyone _but_ Itachi had been there and Mikoto had told her it was because he wanted her to come to him on her own terms, when she was ready to deal with it. Admirable, but she really had wanted to see him. "I don't know. I was um, going to call him and see when would be a good time for me to go over to his apartment."

"What? Why are you talking to me then?" the future Uchiha admonished "Go call him right now!" and then she hung up, leaving Hinata with a twitching left eyebrow.

Ino and Sasuke deserved each other and Hinata hoped their kids gave them hell. She already had plans to spoil them, she and Mikoto had been plotting it for months.

Looking at her phone she debated calling him. It was mostly just nerves, she knew she couldn't be a coward and put it off forever and it wasn't fair to Itachi either. He had given her three months to think on everything, he deserved a conclusion.

Before she could change her mind she pressed a button and her phone speed dialed his cell. It picked up on the third ring.

"Hina." His voice was low and smooth as always. He didn't sound eager or nervous, he sounded as calm and collected as he always did while she was a nervous wreck. "Good morning."

"G-good m-morning…" she stammered out. She only stuttered when she was very nervous…which would be right about now.

There was a long pause and then; "…Might I inquire to the nature of this call?" he asked and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

Embarrassed and feeling a little foolish – she'd known the guy her entire life, what was she nervous about? – she took a small breath "I was um, w-wondering if we could…you know…talk."

"I assume you would call someone because you wish to talk to them, that much is a given." He was deliberately teasing her and she felt herself relaxing. This was the friend she had grown to know and love.

"Meanie. I mean in person."

"Your words wound me, little Hina." She felt her heart skip at that. He hadn't called her 'Little Hina' in a long time. Once again there was a moment of silence and he eventually chimed in "Did you…have a place in mind?" he sounded amused by her inability to conduct a proper conversation.

Oh this guy… "You didn't say if you wanted to or not!" she defended.

"Hina, I do not believe there would be any time where I would _not_ wish to speak to you in person. In any case, my apologies, I was unaware that I would need to state the obvious."

She wanted to kick him, playfully of course, right in the shins. He hadn't teased her this badly in…well a long time. Hinata found herself a mixture of pleased and exasperated "If you don't behave I won't make you dango on your birthday."

He sighed "I see you've been taking tips from Sasuke and mother on 'How to Play Dirty'. Very well, for the rest of this conversation I promise I will be as cordial and polite as possible."

Giggling, she began to walk around her little apartment, a habit she only practiced when talking to him over the phone "I know you're very busy so I was wondering if I could meet you at your apartment whenever you're free."

He didn't say anything for a moment "I am free now." This time his voice sounded a little flat.

"O…oh." She became nervous all over again "You don't have work today?"

"Fukagu has been forcing me to work more from home. I began to have blackouts which the doctors said was due to stress. He forced me to take a vacation and for the next six months I am only to be at the office when there is an important meeting, otherwise I am to work from home."

Paling, she stopped walking "You keep overworking yourself!" her voice was very worried "Oh, Itachi…are you alright?"

"I'm fine, although a little bored. I don't go out much and working from home tends to be less strenuous than working at the office. I have an absurd amount of free time and I've realized that I really need to get a hobby so I can have something to occupy my mind."

Another giggle "Well, um, maybe we could spend the day together?" she bit her lower lip, feeling apprehensive.

"Hinata, I would love to spend the day with you." He said softly, sounding very serious. She felt warmth move through her at the sound.

"Okay. I'll be there in an hour."

xxxxx

Looking down at the cute but low cut blouse and skinny jeans she was wearing, she wondered if maybe she should have chosen something more modest. It hadn't been a conscious decision to try and look sexy, although it was her first time wearing the top. Thankfully it was still a little cool – even though it was May - so she was wearing a light coat not fully zipped. She hoped he didn't get the wrong idea when he saw her.

He answered on the second ring of his doorbell, fully dressed but his hair was loose and damp signaling he had taken a shower not too long ago. They stood there for a moment as their gazes met, both of them a little unsure of what to do. Then the Uchiha recovered and motioned for her to enter.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked and began to walk towards the kitchen while she hung up her coat on the rack. "I think…" he was looking through one of his cabinets "I still have the tea you brought for me a little before you left for England."

"Oh, that'll be fine. I don't want to impose." She said politely.

He actually snorted at her "You must be joking." He said dryly and she did realize how silly she was being.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous." She said honestly, hinting at the reason she was there.

He didn't respond, instead he poured hot water into a tiny teapot and after a moment poured them tea in the cups on the tray "Did you want any sugar or cream?" he offered.

"Um, just two scoops of sugar please." She said and grimaced when he put a rather healthy – or unhealthy, whichever - amount of sugar and cream into his own tea. There was sweet and then there was _sweet_. Itachi constantly bordered on the 'too sweet to ingest' concerning certain things. Especially things with caffeine in them.

"Are you sure that's all you'd like?" he asked once more, about to bring the tray over.

Hinata nodded "Yes. I really don't want to become a diabetic following your example."

Raising an eyebrow he walked over with the tray "I seem to be doing fine."

"You also have a freakish metabolism." She countered "Some of us actually have to watch what we eat." She made a funny face at him and he smiled slightly.

"I cannot help it if I have superior genes." He said with a straight face as he picked up his too-sweet tea. After a moment he spoke up "Did that professor who hated you give a recommendation letter?"

Nodding, she frowned slightly, remembering that horrid man. Why teach if you were so bitter and hateful towards everyone? It didn't make sense to her. "He told me I didn't deserve it though."

"Obviously you did, otherwise he wouldn't have done it." He reasoned and she smiled at his observation. "Some people tend to say one thing but mean the exact opposite. I've had professors like him and many of them were very hard on me but not out of spite. Sometimes, when a professor is being especially difficult with a student it's because they're trying to push them; they believe you have what it takes to succeed. If you consider it in that light, it means he believed that you would make an excellent pediatrician once finished with your schooling."

Her face turned red at his words. Could that really have been it? That her professor had been so mean to her because he saw promise in her and wanted to push her? It seemed surreal; he had been absolutely awful. Smiling demurely, she nodded, giving him her silent thanks.

They sat in comfortable silence after that, not really looking at each other – or rather, Hinata not looking at him – quietly drinking their tea. After a while she began to feel nervous. Why was she being silent? Didn't she tell him she wanted to talk to him? Determined, she looked up at him and found that he had been staring at her; he seemed amused.

"Do you know what goes good with tea?" she suddenly asked.

Itachi blinked at her, his face becoming blank "What?"

"Dango." Her heart was pounding. She didn't know why but she suddenly wanted to get out of his apartment.

There was silence for a moment as he stared at her. Then he began to stand "I'll grab my coat."

xxxxx

Since it was after lunch hours the teahouse was somewhat empty, to which she was happy. She didn't want anyone to overhear in case she did something foolish. What she had no idea, but considering her nerves, any number of things could happen. Nothing too good came out of her being extremely nervous.

Taking a sip of her green tea she suddenly remembered something "Hey," he looked up at her "do you remember that one time when you ate Anko-sensei's dango and the school told you that you couldn't come pick us up from school for a month?"

Chuckling lightly, he nodded and she marveled at how _different_ he looked when he was relaxed. She missed it, the past few years he had been Itachi yet not Itachi. A wall had appeared between them out of nowhere and it had made her rather sad. Hinata was so happy to see this side of him again.

"Yes, I remember." He was smiling "You two were fourteen or fifteen at the time and when we encountered each other we had tried to reacquaint ourselves."

That was new "You knew Anko-sensei before then?"

"She was in college when I was going through for some degree or another, I forget exactly which one. That was how we met. In any case, she had excused herself to go use the restroom and I saw her plate of dango sitting there."

"And you stole them." Hinata said with a giggle.

"No, I borrowed." He corrected "And I told Mitarashi-san that I would be more than happy to give her back her dango after it had properly digested and left my system although I told her I couldn't promise it would be in the same form it had been when I had eaten them."

Her mouth dropped "You didn't."

"I did." He smiled "Then she tried to strangle me, which was when you two caught us on the ground and I was able to break free."

She laughed, she couldn't do anything else after that proclamation "Why did you eat them?" she said once she had been able to calm herself a bit.

"Revenge." When she looked at him in confusion he elaborated "When I was in college Mitarashi-san teased and antagonized me mercilessly because I was so young and, at the time, small. I never said anything back then but seeing those dango there years later I saw it was an opportunity I simply couldn't refuse. I learned that she's amazingly strong when enraged but it was worth the pain."

The two of them laughed lightly at the memory and a very comfortable silence filled the air. Looking at her cup she thought fondly of her memories of the three of them. Having grown up in the Hyuuga household, she was grateful that she had met the brothers and befriended them. Because of them it had been much easier to take the emotional blows from her family.

Looking up briefly she paused when she noticed that Itachi was staring at her. There was a hint of a smile on his face and his dark eyes were very warm. After a moment he blinked and his expression shifted to one of confusion.

"Is something wrong, Hina?" he asked.

Blushing furiously, she looked down at her cup "Um, you were just…staring at me." She said softly.

"I was?" there was genuine surprise in his voice "I apologize, I didn't realize."

She shook her head "N-no it's a-alright." Her pale gaze shifted back to his face shyly. It was now or never "Um, you said…back then, that you'd answer my q-questions right?"

Tilting his head slightly his face was impassive "That is correct."

"W-when did…you know…you realized um, y-your feelings?" biting her bottom lip she forced herself not to look down.

There was a slightly haunted look on his face before he answered "Do you remember that day in the forest when we played laser tag instead of paintball?"

Looking thoughtfully she searched her memories "Oh, that was…" she smiled "That was the only time I had won!" Hinata had been so proud of herself that day. "I had even surprised you and you were like, the king of those games."

He did not return her smile "That was when I realized it." It was said low and he didn't sound terribly happy about it.

Hinata tried to remember how old she had been back then. Seventeen? No, it had been before she had gone back to the Hyuuga estate. So fifteen? Gasping, her eyes widened as she realized and his gaze shifted.

"_That_ long ago?" she was stunned "B-but you didn't say anything…"

Slender dark eyes slid over to her "I was a twenty year old male lusting after a fifteen year old girl. It's usually considered immoral, not to mention illegal."

"L-lusting?" she stammered, her voice sounding unusually high and strained.

He turned his full attention to her "When you have feelings for someone, those sorts of emotions normally follow and I am a man after all. So yes, some of those feelings were intimate in nature." He looked away again "It was…extremely uncomfortable and I was more ashamed than pleased when I realized."

"Oh." She wasn't entirely sure how to feel. That long he had held feelings for her? "Was that why you started being so distant with me?"

"Yes."

Well, at least she had an explanation for that now. "But…I'm twenty-three now so why…?"

At this he sighed "I suppose it was because I had refused to admit it to myself for so long that I continued to do so even after you had turned eighteen. When you informed me of your relationship with Sabaku I responded subconsciously by avoiding you because the thought of you being with another greatly distressed me." A hand touched his jaw "Sasuke eventually decided to speak up about it, in his own way of course."

There was a small exhale of breath "I had always thought that maybe…I had done something wrong." She admitted.

"No," he reassured her "the blame lies solely on me. I should have said something years ago, instead of reacting like a fool when you had finally moved on."

She shook her head softly "I didn't move on." It was almost a whisper "I could never…" she trailed off and he remained silent.

"So, what now?" she asked him, curious. Forcing herself to look up at him she found him already staring at her.

"I've already expressed to you how I feel, so at this point it is up to you to decide. I have not been as kind to you as I should have been these past few years, I would not blame you if you decided not to take this any further."

Her heart jumped at the word 'this'. 'This', 'them', an intimate relationship. Something she had wanted and had forever felt it was impossible.

"I'm just…" she tried to form the right words "I'm still trying to process the fact that you actually l-like me. That way. It feels so u-unreal."

His expression shifted to mild thoughtfulness as he regarded her and she had no idea what he could possibly be thinking or feeling. Then suddenly, he stood up, pulling out a few bills "Let's head back."

Itachi didn't sound happy or angry or anything so she wasn't sure of how to respond except to nod mutely and follow him out of the teahouse. Once outside she looked down at her feet as they walked side by side, nervous. After a minute something brushed against her hand and before she realized it he had taken it, interlacing their fingers. Gently, he tugged her so that she was closer to him. He did all of this without looking at her, as if they were just a normal couple walking down the street. Face probably permanently red for the rest of the day she felt like a silly teenage girl when, as she squeezed his hand gently, he lightly smiled.

Eventually she calmed down enough to actually enjoy being so close to him and even began to lean on him, her other arm lightly touching his. He did not react but he didn't push her away either. They were silent on the way back to his apartment and he only let go of her hand when he had to, immediately taking it once more when he could. Hinata felt giddy, happy and a little excited.

Once they entered his apartment and hung up their coats, she felt warm hands rove over her shoulders as he moved up behind her. A shiver went up her spine as his hands moved gently over her shoulders, down her arms, and to her hands. Her breath caught in her throat.

"I-Itachi?" she sounded uncertain. Was this really happening?

Turning her around to face him, she looked up and noticed that warm smile from earlier when he had been staring. Hands sliding back up her arms, he framed her face with his hands and closed the distance between them. The kiss was soft, light, not at all demanding. He did not linger, instead he pulled back to look at her.

"Did that feel real to you?" he asked her and she wasn't sure if he was amused or not. Reaching down he took one of her hands into his, never taking his gaze from her.

He didn't try to kiss her again but he did hold her hand and his other hand was still placed along her cheek, thumb moving slowly over soft skin. His face remained stoic but she could see in his eyes that he was waiting on her final answer.

_This is real,_ she told herself _It's real and he's really standing here and he really does have feelings for me and I…_

"I love you." She said. His only reaction was his hand squeezing hers lightly and his thumb stopped moving. Worry moved through her when he didn't respond verbally and she briefly wondered if perhaps she had said too much.

But then he moved, pulling her against him. Instinctively, her hands slid up his chest to wrap her arms around his neck. One of his hands was gently holding the back of her head while the other was around her waist. She could feel the warmth of his breath when his lips hovered over her ear.

"I also love you." He confessed and before she could even react his lips were on hers, soft and undemanding. She practically melted against him at the words, pulling him closer, fingers finally moving into still damp hair.

Slowly their kisses deepened and his hold on her became tighter although not as badly as the first time. Her head was still spinning and she felt as if she were floating, coherent thought and speech was completely out the window at this point. It would take her a while to fully accept the fact that yes, Itachi wanted her and yes, he wanted to be with her. The fact that he had felt this way for almost eight years had been a huge shocker as well.

When they parted she felt his lips move along her jaw and down to the hollow of her throat. A soft sound escaped her lips. He brought his lips near her ear once more.

"Hina," he said softly "Will you be mine?" there needed to be a verbal agreement between them, a solid 'yes, we are together'. She nodded.

"I've…always been yours." _All you had to do was say something._

He kisses her again except this time it is more passionate, like before. She found herself moving backwards as his hands rested lightly on her hips, guiding her. They did not break until she felt the back of her legs hit something solid. Surprised, she twisted and found herself plopping down on his couch. Turning up to look at him she moved backwards while he joined her, his arms holding him up as he slid over top of her. Her breath hitched and he bent down, capturing her lips once more. He was warm but not heavy. One arm moved over his neck and the other moved along his back. When she trailed her fingers from the base of his spine up he shuddered, moving from her lips to her neck, trailing down.

"If I do something you do not want or like," he murmured against her skin "tell me and I'll stop immediately."

Lost in her emotions and in him she nodded, it was really all she could do. A hand slid underneath her blouse then, warm and comforting.

"I thought I should mention," he sounded slightly amused "that the blouse you are wearing was highly distracting."

She giggled "I never even noticed you looking."

"It was extremely difficult _not_ to look." He commented dryly "I don't think you realize how attractive you are to me." In response she felt the warmth of his tongue as he trailed up her neck and she let out a shaky breath in response, arching her back against the hard contours of his body.

She had forgotten how underneath those business and casual clothes he wore that there was a solid, muscular body.

_Mine. All mine._

His hand had slid up her side and was now cupping her breast. She moaned softly and when she did not protest he became bolder. Kissing her, his hand slid to her back and she felt him rather skillfully unhook her bra. Her back arched again when she felt his hand slide underneath the lacy fabric and touch bare skin. Once again he began to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck, his fingers teasing a hardened nipple. A sound of protest almost slipped past her when he removed his hand and his body lifted away from her. Both hands slid up and underneath her blouse, pulling the fabric over her chest. Before she could feel embarrassed at being exposed to _him_ of all people the warmth of his body returned. From her stomach she felt his lips as they pressed against sensitive flesh, moving up. Breathing quickened at the feel of his kisses and hair tickling along her skin. Even now he seemed so calm while she felt wanton.

Moving the other half of her bra up and over she cried out when his mouth closed over her other breast, tongue washing over a hardened bud. When she raised her hips she felt him then, hard and thick against her thigh. She whispered his name. He lightly bit down on sensitive flesh before soothing it back over with his tongue once more. His other hand was teasing her other breast and her hands moved through his hair and over his shoulders and upper half of his back. She lifted her hips again, pressed herself against him. He finally made a small noise from the back of his throat.

Raising his head his mouth sought hers again, pressing his body further against her. Small, shaky hands moved to the front of his shirt, fumbling with the buttons. She felt him shudder again when her warm hands slid up his abdomen and to his chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles.

"_Hinata_ –" he breathed placing kisses along her neck. "I –"

Both completely froze in place when the sharp sound of his door bell rang through the apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Okay so basically I'm uploading this early because I was beginning to feel like a jerk keeping you all hanging. It really was a rather messed up cliffhanger to leave you.

This be the final chapter and no, there's no lemons here. Actually in the last few fics I've done I've kind of avoided doing that. *shrug* In any case, I am seriously considering expanding on the 'Ruby Slide' fic but I'm not _entirely_ sure how I want that to go(maybe I'll make that one a lemon, I dunno, my inner perv is telling me I've done so with every couple except ItaHina and I find ItaHina sexier than SasuHina. I mean seriously). I do have some idea or something but we'll see. It probably will only be like an extra chapter or so. I dunno.

I really like how this chapter came out due to the events that transpire. This chapter is rather light hearted for the most part. Thanks to everyone who commented and faved this fic, I started out not really liking how it came out but I think I've changed my mind about that.

xxxxx

**7**

xxxxx

_Who the hell…?_

Why was it that now that he had the woman he loved in his arms,_ very_ close to picking her up and taking her into his bedroom, someone out of the blue moon decides to drop by for a visit. He hasn't had a visitor since Hinata left a year ago. All intelligent thought ended with "What. The. Hell." as he seriously debates not answering the damn door.

He does not voice his frustration. Instead, he gently puts her bra back on and pulls down her shirt. She looks as disappointed and frustrated as he feels and tries to sit up. His buzzer goes off again.

"Itachi?" came the voice of Uchiha Mikoto "Are you there?"

"It's mother." He deadpanned and _seriously_ wished that she had picked a better day to stop by for a surprise visit. Closing his eyes briefly he helps her to her feet, smoothing out her hair. "Answer the door for me, Hina. I'll be out shortly."

Since there was absolutely no way he could face his mother almost half naked and quite visibly aroused, he went into the bathroom and turned on the cold water in the faucet. Sighing, he splashed his face a few times before grabbing a towel. After drying his face he found a spare hair tie and pulled his hair back into its trademark ponytail. Then he stood there, leaning on the sink, head down until his body managed some semblance of calm. Lifting his head he pulled his bangs back a bit with his hand, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked exasperated and annoyed, which he was. His head turned towards the door where he could hear his mother and Hinata chatting. Mikoto made a comment about the red marks on Hinata's neck and he lowered his head again, fighting back a sigh. Not only was she here at the most horrible time imaginable, she was going to embarrass the hell out of Hinata as well. She was probably as red as a tomato right now.

_Well, I can't just leave her out there with mother, if she keeps it up Hinata might end up fainting or something infinitely worse._

Besides, she was his now, he couldn't leave her out there alone to suffer his mother's insanity. Itachi mentally paused at the thought while buttoning up his shirt. It was strange, knowing that she was now, his best friend, girlfriend and, barring no further interruptions later, future lover. He had even confessed that he loved her. More than likely, his mother would bring up marriage and children. All he wanted to do was marvel in the fact that he actually _had_ her in his life now. He wanted to enjoy his time with her, not jump into all sorts of legal and emotional responsibilities.

Finally walking out he gave his mother a 'what are you doing here?' sort of look while Hinata was serving her some tea. "Mother," he began "to what do I hold the honor of this visit?"

She gave him a happy/sly look as he sat down very close to Hinata on the couch they had just been making out in, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh," she began "Sasu told me that Hinata was going to call and maybe come over so I wanted to stop by to see if you two had talked things out." She gave her son a look "But I can see you two are getting along just fine."

Poor Hinata flushed and leaned against him. He responded by leaning over to murmur in her ear "Forgive me little _Hime_," he purred, too low for his mother to really understand him "it would seem that I allowed myself to get a little carried away."

She made a happy little sound at her new nickname and looked embarrassed at his comment. Inwardly, he smiled.

He also made a note to get back at Sasuke for telling his mother, knowing that she'd do something like this. 'Playing Dirty' indeed, that brat. It was his own fault for spoiling him so much, he supposed.

"Well," Mikoto began "since you two are already starting the process do you think maybe I could see some grandchildren in the near future?"

A small 'eep' came from Hinata and he fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Sasuke was _definitely_ going to pay for this one. He understood the joy and merit of pranking one's brother but this…

"Mother, we have been in our relationship for five minutes, I believe some time should pass before there is any discussion of reproduction."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow "Only five minutes?" she looked back at Hinata and then at him "You move fast."

Okay. He walked into that one, he could admit that. It didn't make it less irritating. It was very difficult to be intelligent when there wereplenty of other things he'd much rather be doing than talking to his very nosey and embarrassing parental unit. All of them, of course, involving himself, Hinata, and his bed. With the way his mind was currently going, the 'bed' portion wasn't even entirely necessary at this point, he would be willing to improvise.

"Mother," he began "if you are only here to tease Hinata and myself then –" _Leave so we can finish what we started._

"Actually," she cut in "I wanted to know if the two of you would have dinner with us tonight. It's Sasu, Ino-chan, your father and myself. Having you two there would be wonderful."

Itachi kept his face neutral. If Fugaku was going to be there either he'd piss off Sasuke, who'd react horribly and possibly make a scene, or he'd annoy him personally, which was also not an interesting prospect. "Mother,"

"He promised to behave Itachi." She insisted "Just light conversation, nothing more."

He was going to regret this. He knew he was. Whenever the entire family was in one room together horrible things happened. Hinata would be used to it, Ino probably not. The Uchiha heir tried to think. If he said no, Hinata would try and convince him to go, because she always took his mother's side. If he said yes he would have to hope and pray that he didn't have to become damage control between Sasuke and their father. It was a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' scenario. After a moment he concluded that it wasn't anything he couldn't deal with.

"I will leave if he starts trying to fight with one of us verbally." He informed his mother "I deal with him enough at work."

Mikoto sighed and gave them a tired smile. As much as she wished it otherwise, her sons would never get along with their father. It wasn't that he was a horrible person he was just…insensitive. Extremely. It didn't help that Fugaku had shared the same opinion concerning Hinata that the Hyuuga had. He had made her cry a few times from his callousness and neither boy had taken it well.

Unfortunately, he still held that opinion. She was going to do her best to keep him from saying anything too insensitive, otherwise her two sons might seriously cease to have anything to do with him. Itachi could easily strike out to go run his own company if he wished, he had both the money and the intelligence. He was patient and he was tolerant, but even he had his limits.

"Um, where is the dinner going to be held?" Hinata came in. Despite having known the two people in the room her entire life she was currently shy, practically burying herself against her new boyfriend. Itachi didn't seem to mind, in fact, he seemed to secretly enjoy the attention. They made an adorable couple.

"The Silhouette." Mikoto answered for her "The reservations are for seven thirty."

The girl paled "I…" her expression became nervous "That's um, a very expensive restaurant."

Both Itachi and Mikoto looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Mikoto was the first to respond with a small laugh.

"Sweetie, you're going with Itachi," the Uchiha matriarch reminded her "usually men pay for the tab on a date. At least, that's how I raised my sons."

"We're aware of your financial situation Hina," his hand moved up and down her arm soothingly "If you don't have anything to wear, we should perhaps leave a little early so that you can pick something out."

Hinata bit her lip "B-but…" her voice was soft and uncertain "I don't want to impose…"

Turning to her, he took his free hand and tilted her chin up so that they made eye contact "Hinata," he looked and sounded serious "I want to make something very clear and I will only say this once. You are with me now, we are together. As long as you are with me there is not a need or a want that you will go without. I suggest you get used to it now because I will not be swayed otherwise. That includes your financial situation."

"Are you going to let her move in with you then?" his mother asked. "That tiny awful apartment is no place for Hinata-chan."

He blinked. What? "This is a one bedroom apartment."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow "I'm sure that's not too much of an inconvenience, considering."

He sighed "I suppose not. In any case, if Hina did wish to live with me, I would get another apartment the two of us could live in. Two people living in this apartment would be uncomfortable." He did not ask Hinata if she wanted to actually do that, mostly because they really had _just_ started their relationship. Even if they knew each other extremely well it still seemed a little fast.

Standing, he began to collect the tray "We will be there on time, mother." He informed Mikoto "Hina and I should leave now if we wish to have enough time for her to actually browse for something she'd like to wear."

Nodding, she stood up and walked over to Hinata, giving her a hug. After putting the tray away he met the two women at the door and gave his mother a hug when she asked for one.

"Thank you for doing this, Itachi." She said genuinely "I know how much you and Sasuke don't get along with your father, but it means a lot to me."

His mother wanted them so desperately to be a family and while she didn't blame her sons for their estrangement with their father, it didn't make her happy either.

"I know." He gave her a small smile and a small wave when she left.

Following Hinata, he saw the apprehensive look on her face and pulled her close, her back facing him.

"I'm sure Fugaku will not say anything to you about our relationship." He reassured her

"But…he still hates me, doesn't he?" she sounded sad.

"He enjoys keeping on good terms with your family. That also means sharing their opinions. I am almost positive that he will say something to the side about me being with you due to your family disowning you, but he has never had control over who I could marry or not marry. I was in one arranged marriage and it was one I had initiated in the first place."

Turning in his arms her pearl-colored eyes widened in surprise "I didn't know you had been a part of an arranged marriage."

His smile was enigmatic "How else would I have been able to convince our fathers to allow you to live with us for four years?"

Her mouth dropped. He kissed her in response. "Yes, the arrangement was that you live with us for four years and I would marry you when you turned twenty-one. The two companies would merge, something the Hyuuga actually need as they are not as financially stable as you think they are." He made a small thoughtful noise and pulled her closer "Now that I think on it, Fugaku might not mind us being together. Once the Hyuuga find out they will probably try to take advantage."

Hinata sighed and he understood her feelings. It was hard knowing that your family would only want you as long as they could use you. Pulling some of her hair back he kissed her temple "We really should get going. Traffic only gets worse, not better, when venturing near the mall area."

Giggling, she moved out of his arms to grab her coat and put on her shoes. Right as he was opening the door for them to leave she put a hand over his, stopping him. He looked at her inquisitively.

"W-would you…about what you said earlier…about moving in together…" blushing, she smiled demurely, looking down.

"I wouldn't mind it." he said honestly "Don't let my mother pressure you, Hina, she means well but she is a meddler at best. Our relationship can go as fast or as slow as you wish although, contrary to what mother wishes, I believe that marriage while you are still in school trying to acquire your medical degree would not be beneficial." Not to mention that marriage wasn't something he was sure he wanted to pursue right now. He loved her, he wanted to be with her, but marriage just seemed…strange. And children. He was twenty-eight and she was twenty-three, to be twenty-four the end of the year. He did not want her to be distracted with married life and children while trying to become a doctor. It seemed a little too much.

_These thoughts wouldn't even be in my head if it weren't for mother._ He mused.

Taking his arm in hers she still avoided his gaze "Living with you," she said softly "I think I, um, would like that."

Allowing her to leave first the couple walked towards the car garage. "I will free my schedule next week so that we can look for something we both wouldn't mind living in."

Shyly she nodded along his arm. Smiling, he stopped for a moment to whisper in her ear "You are also _more than_ welcome to stay in my apartment until then, little _Hime_." His smile widened as her face practically glowed red. He could get used to more intimate teasing like this.

xxxxx

They arrived just a minute behind Ino and Sasuke, who waited in the parking lot when they saw them. Hinata thought they made a beautiful couple. The blonde's hair was partially up with curls with the rest hanging down past her lower back. Her dress was a pale purple, short and sleeveless with the fabric crisscrossing along the back. Even though it was cold – In May! - she was only wearing a shawl to cover her arms. The matching pumps made Hinata's feet hurt just looking at them. The last time she tried to wear heels that high she had almost broken her ankle, much to the embarrassment of her family. Her date was wearing a dark purple silk shirt with a black blazer and pants. He looked very agitated.

Ino practically threw her arms around Hinata once they were close "Oh, Hinata-chan it's really good to see you!"

She gave the other woman a confused smile "You um, saw me two days ago Ino-chan."

"Yes but Sasuke's very scary father wasn't there to make me feel like I'm three feet tall." She sighed and Hinata could empathize. Ino's family wasn't rich; she didn't come from an elite background or anything like that. Her family owned a successful flower shop that their daughter had every intention of taking over. It didn't really make her shine in Fugaku's eyes and Hinata knew that her father would have felt the same way. Blue blood married blue blood, they didn't mingle with 'commoners'.

"Who gives a damn what he thinks?" Sasuke snapped, edgy. He was only there at the insistence of his mother, otherwise he would _not_ have bothered. The relationship between father and son for them was almost non-existent at this point. The youngest son would be guarded, ready to attack should he need to.

Still holding onto Hinata, Ino leaned in to whisper "The closer we got to coming here the more irritable he became." She looked worried for her fiancé.

Itachi walked over to his brother, hand in his coat pocket. He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and leaned in to say something only for him. There was a long pause and then the younger brother leaned back, laughing. The older brother did not look amused.

"It's not my fault you answered the door," Sasuke said as the four of them started heading inside "you could have pretended that you weren't home. Besides, I didn't _tell_ mom to stop by, all I said was that Nata-chan was going to visit you and she got all excited. How was I supposed to know you'd –"

The two brothers were still a bit ahead so when Itachi leaned over to say something to Sasuke again this time he didn't laugh.

"Alright fine. That's a good point." This time Sasuke leaned over and by the time they reached the door Sasuke was grinning, Itachi's face _looked_ blank but that more than likely meant if he was upset or pissed he wasn't going to show it.

Letting the hostess take her coat she looked over at her boyfriend while the other couple did the same. "What was that about?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing." He said flatly. That meant 'It was guy talk and it will probably offend the hell out of you so you really just don't need to know'. She had learned this painful lesson when they had all went through puberty – Itachi before them obviously – and Sasuke actually told her half of the things he spoke about with other guys because she wouldn't leave him alone about it. 'Scarred' was not a good enough word to describe how she felt afterwards. She had been a constant shade of red for an entire week. She hadn't been able to look Sasuke in the eye for a month.

A warm hand moved to her exposed back and she smiled up at Itachi as he pulled her close, guiding them to their table. She had opted for a turtleneck dress to hide the marks he had given her earlier. It was a dark blue, slightly form fitting at the top and hips, with a long slit on the side for mobility. Her date was also matching with her with a dark blue silk shirt and black pants.

Mother and father were already at the table and both stood to properly greet everyone. Mikoto hugged and kissed everyone while Fugaku gave a small, strained smile before sitting back down. Menus were handed out but none of the Uchiha moved to even look at it. Of course, Hinata was not disturbed but Ino looked a little confused. Since she was beside Hinata she decided it'd be safe to ask her instead of asking out loud.

"All Uchiha have photographic memories." Hinata explained "As long as the menu hasn't changed they don't need to look at it after the initial glance."

Ino was colored impressed "Wow, all of them?"

Sasuke leaned towards his fiancé "Yes, all of us." He responded, amused. It wasn't something they really thought about so whenever a new person came along it was always amusing to see their reactions. "Don't let Nata-chan fool you, the Hyuuga have their own freakish ability that cannot be explained by science."

"It's _not_ freakish." Hinata protested, frowning "You're just saying that because you can't do it."

Now the blonde was curious "What is it Hinata-chan?" she wanted to know.

"Hina's family can 'sense' when someone is telling them the truth or lying." Itachi answered for her "It's mostly just their ability to pay close attention to every detail in something or someone. Keen observation on a slightly abnormal level."

Ino blinked "Wow, that's really impressive Hinata-chan." She blinked when the other woman's expression turned sad "Hinata-chan?"

"I um," Hinata sighed slightly "I don't really have that ability. Not like my family. I was never any good at it."

"That is an inaccurate statement." Itachi began but paused when the waiter arrived to take everyone's order. Picking up his now full wine glass, he regarded Ino once more "Hina is actually very skilled when she applies herself. There is not a lie Sasuke or I have been able to get past her all of these years."

"And we've tried." The younger brother came in dryly "We actually made it a point one day just to see what would happen."

"Even white lies." Itachi continued, smiling thinly at his blushing girlfriend "Those were interesting, as Hina would know that we were lying, but she couldn't separate the truth from the lie so she'd look at us funny for a while before giving up on us completely."

With the exception of Hinata, Fugaku, and Itachi, everyone at the table laughed at the mental image it brought.

"Wow Hinata-chan," Ino sounded a mixture of impressed and sympathetic "It sounds like you got the full treatment of 'brotherly love', including the annoying parts. Makes me glad I'm an only child."

"What they're not telling you," Mikoto came in, still smiling "was that if they made Hinata-chan cry from their teasing they would start coddling her."

"We didn't 'coddle' her," Sasuke defended.

"We merely gave her affection to show that it was merely a small jest. Well, Sasuke sometimes would yell at her because he'd be so flustered." Itachi finished, taking another drink from his glass. "Sasuke had a…phobia? I suppose you could call it that. He had a phobia concerning girls when they cried. He would make a few half hearted attempts and if that didn't work he'd get upset and start yelling at them to stop."

"So you were a jerk even when you were a kid!" Ino laughed and her fiancé shot her a dark glare. "Picking on poor Hinata-chan."

Sasuke snorted "Whatever. She's not as innocent as she likes to portray herself to be." He grumbled.

"Sasu-kun don't tell Ino untrue things about me." The topic of the conversation pouted "I was never mean to either of you."

"She got us in trouble with mom _all the time_." He continued to complain "Mom would always take Nata-chan's side, it didn't even matter if it was true or not." He shot Hinata a glare "I think it was once or twice that she actually lied to mom to get us in trouble. I know for a damn _fact_ I wasn't the one who broke that glass egg thing and Itachi didn't do it either, so that left only one other person but she swore to mom that she didn't do it so she blamed us instead."

They were eating their food at this point and Mikoto gracefully took a bite of her food. "I knew it had been Hinata-chan who had broken that glass egg." She confessed.

Sasuke and Itachi stared at her at a complete loss for words. Even Fugaku looked a little surprised.

"But you should have seen the look on poor Hinata-chan's face!" Mikoto defended "It was obvious she was lying but she had looked so terrified that I –"

"Blamed us instead?" Sasuke sounded a mixture of shocked and annoyed "You could have at least slacked off on the punishment then."

"I agree." Itachi said calmly "That was a rather hellish month, to the point where even I was irritable by the end of it."

Mikoto waved it off "If I did then the punishment wouldn't have fit the crime. Anyway, you're boys, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Both Hinata and Ino giggled.

"Don't laugh." Both brothers told Hinata and she 'eeped', sliding down a bit in her seat. She didn't look at all apologetic, however.

"Well, considering how often you picked on Hinata-chan, you two probably deserved it." Ino insisted, giving her fiancé a look. He glared openly at her.

"You don't know what she made us do for that entire month." Sasuke growled at her before looking at his mother "I should go to the highest priced therapist in town just to forward mom the bill after hearing this." He looked at Hinata "And _you_." It was said darkly.

"Sasu-kun, that was a _very_ long time ago," the pale-eyed girl said a mixture between nervous and amused. When Sasuke got revenge he _got revenge_ and Hinata didn't really want to know what he'd come up with now that they were adults.

He ignored her and looked at his brother "Itachi?"

"Consider it done." Was the low monotone response.

Hinata looked up pleadingly at her boyfriend who was pointedly interested in his meal "S-surely y-you wouldn't get revenge o-on your own girlfriend, right?"

"Hn." He looked thoughtful as he took another bite.

She clinged on his arm "At least have mercy?"

"Absolutely not." He deadpanned.

The pleasant atmosphere remained throughout the remainder of their dinner. Mostly everyone talked a little bit about themselves; Ino was especially encouraged since she was new to the 'family'. It wasn't until everyone was leaving that Fugaku pulled his sons aside. Tension immediately rose between the three males although all three of them looked emotionless.

Fugaku turned to Itachi first. "So you two are finally together?"

There was the slight twitch of the eyebrow, as if he had been about to raise it. "Yes." Was the simple response.

"I assume this is a permanent relationship?"

Itachi tilted his head slightly "Unless Hinata wishes otherwise."

Father turned to his youngest son. "You're getting married in six months." It wasn't a question.

He tensed in response, like a cat waiting to pounce "Yeah."

There was a moment of awkward silence. "Congratulations." And with that he walked away from his sons, Mikoto beaming up at him with pride as they walked to their car.

The brothers looked at each other with barely concealed surprise.

"Did that just happen?" Sasuke asked, honestly confused. He and Ino had been engaged for well over a year and not once had his father said anything pleasant in regards to it.

"Had I not been here to witness it myself, I would not have believed it." Itachi said honestly "I suppose after almost thirty years of marriage mother is finally getting through to him."

"We'll see how long it lasts." Shoving his hands in his pockets Sasuke walked over, putting an arm around Ino's shoulders. Itachi couldn't blame Sasuke for feeling that way because they mirrored his own feelings. He hoped that Fugaku was finally deciding to mellow out and simply accept his sons as they were, but it was difficult to honestly believe it. The man had simply waited too long.

"That went very well." Hinata said to him as they walked to his car. She gave him a soft and warm smile "I'm really glad we came."

He hesitated before responding "So am I."

xxxxx

He couldn't help the small smile that emerged while he watched Hinata practically dance around their new apartment, face flushed and eyes bright. She had loved it the moment she had laid eyes on it and he had to admit that it was rather nice. Their balcony overlooked a beautiful park that was well known for its abundance of flowers, something she had been pleased with. There was enough room for both of them to use one for his work and her school. The kitchen, Hinata's domain as far as he was concerned, was large and spacious with top of the line appliances. With furniture, the dining room and living room would look amazing. The apartment was actually the size of a one bedroom house and it felt a little strange to be living in such a large space after living in his small apartment for so long. There were two bedrooms; one was being turned into the study, leaving them with one bedroom and one bed.

They didn't mind.

Hinata seemed to fit in his life flawlessly. They were both busy, especially now that she was going to be starting medical school fall semester. When they were together it was a quiet and humble time. He made it a point to take her at least on one date a week just to get out but beyond that they were perfectly content just doing whatever they felt like doing. Sometimes he would read while she watched a movie – of course, she is laying on him as she does this – sometimes they would just talk. It didn't have to be about anything important, it was just another way to spend time together. He didn't really have to change much about his current lifestyle but he did feel the difference emotionally.

Around her he smiled more; they joked often, and were very affectionate. If he was stressed from work and she was home simply looking at her made him feel relaxed and at peace. Whenever she was home she would always cook dinner for them and if they were both home during the weekends she'd make breakfast as well. It was his old life with an extremely wonderful addition.

They did argue, although it was not often. If one were to ask them they would be able to count on one hand the amount of real arguments they had had over the months and then years as time would go by. In two years he would ask her to marry him, in four they would actually be wed. At thirty Hinata would give birth to a baby boy but would be unable to have any more children due to the unhealthy strain it would put on her body. Itachi would learn that it actually seemed to be a pattern with Hyuuga women, their bodies seemed to be unable to handle the burden of pregnancy. Instead they will adopt a baby girl a year later and be content.

But right now, he was watching her move around their new apartment and thinking about how beautiful she looked when she twirled happily, long hair flowing behind her. Right now he was thinking about how good it felt whenever he saw her smile brightly at him, as if he was her world. It was a good feeling, because she was his world as well.

And right now, he's debating on whether or not he wants to take her into their new bedroom even though there was only the box spring and mattress sitting in the middle. He makes his decision when she wraps her arms around his neck and looks up at him lovingly, her pale face flushed, eyes bright.

Inwardly he smiles when she cries out in surprise as he lifts her up bridal style and begins to walk towards their new bedroom. He does smile slightly when she starts wiggling as she realizes where they're going.

"B-but it doesn't even have the f-frame or any sheets or…"

"We'll make do." Was his response as he kicked the bedroom door closed behind him.


End file.
